How Connecticut road crews are preparing for the first snowstorm of the year
AccuWeather spoke with the Connecticut DOT on Jan. 5 about their concerns and preparations for a winter storm looming for the Northeast.
Transcript
00:00 We are ready. The folks standing behind me, they've done this before. And I think you've
00:05 got the message loud and clear. Let them do their job. Let them do their job safely.
00:12 Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont earlier today said, with a message for the people in his
00:18 state, the face of this weekend's winter storm, stay off the roads once an emergency is declared.
00:26 It's all great tips. And the New Year's first winter storm is going to bring a lot of snow
00:31 for some parts of the Northeast and New England. And Connecticut is in the storm's path. Josh
00:36 Morgan is communications director for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
00:41 Thank you for joining us, Josh.
00:44 Thank you, Melissa.
00:46 So first up, Josh, how are your teams preparing for this weekend's storm as it's approaching?
00:50 Yeah, time has really been on our side. So we spent most of Thursday, all of today, really
00:57 going out there, pre-treating our roads, hitting those areas that we know are usually the trouble
01:02 spots here in Connecticut. So we sent our crews home today about 3.30, 4 o'clock, said
01:09 rest up, relax, sleep in on Saturday, because when they come in tomorrow night, they're
01:15 not going to go back home for 24, 36 hours.
01:19 And for your highway crews, what is this storm, what part of the storm, I should say, are
01:24 you most concerned about?
01:26 Yeah, we always look for that mix, you know, if there's going to be any turnover to ice.
01:31 We have some really large bridges here in Connecticut that could ice over if the temperatures
01:35 drop. So we'll keep an eye on it. You know, half of our trucks have some really great
01:40 technology that's doing atmospheric temperatures, road pavement temperatures. We have some really
01:45 good technology that's going to allow us to plow the roads and put the right treatment
01:48 down at the right moment.
01:50 Connecticut, no stranger to winter weather since they're in New England, but it's been
01:55 a while since we've done this. So what are some of your tips to drivers as they go out
02:00 and about?
02:01 Yeah, it's been more than a year since we've had this statewide accumulation projected
02:06 here in Connecticut. So we're New Englanders, we know how to handle the weather, but it's
02:10 always important to remember if you have to be out Saturday night into Sunday, slow down,
02:16 give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go. And certainly don't crowd
02:20 the plows. Too often people are trying to pass our plow trucks. It's creating a really
02:25 unsafe situation for everybody. So if you're out, slow down, pay attention and don't crowd
02:30 the plow.
02:32 Great tips there. And it's always hard to crowd the plow anyway. They're usually throwing
02:35 stuff. So it's good for the road to let it sit on the road and then drive over it as
02:40 opposed to driving right through it. Well, again, we want to thank you, Josh, for your
02:43 time. And we do have a lot to cover with this storm because there is going to be snow for
02:48 several locations across the Northeast. So you want to be prepared for that wintry threat.