Tri-Town prepares for weekend of heavy snowfall
Crews across Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester are hooking up plows and preparing for the incoming snowstorm. Photo by Grace Roche
Crews across Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester are hooking up plows and preparing for the incoming snowstorm. Photo by Grace Roche
With 8-12 inches of snow forecast to hit the South Coast this weekend, crews in Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester are preparing for the storm.
At the Mattapoisett and Rochester Highway Departments and the Marion Department of Public Works, workers are ensuring equipment is in good condition and readying to plow the roads when snowfall begins.
Matthew Duff, a machine operator at the Mattapoisett Highway Department, said Friday was a hectic day of preparations.
Readying plowing equipment has been a focus at the department in the days before the storm is predicted.
“We’re checking all the fluids and trucks, making sure all the cutting edges of the plows have enough wear to them, changing them if they do — just making sure all the equipment we have is ready to go,” he said.
Duff said the Mattapoisett department has an advantage because its machinery is stored indoors, protecting it from the elements and making repairs easier.
The town has six full-time staff who will clear and treat the roads, all of whom will be deployed for the storm along with a few subcontractors.
Jody Dickerson, Marion’s Department of Public Works director, said preparing equipment has also been key, as well as ensuring a full supply of salt and sand.
He said roads will be treated about an hour before snow begins, which prevents snow from sticking and turning into ice.
“This (snow) fall is probably one of our biggest storms we're going to have in the last few years,” Dickerson said. “We have all our plows ready to go.”
The town will deploy 18 plows, with the addition of five contracted vehicles. According to the department, DPW employees and hired plows will not get shift changes, and will work around the clock clearing roads.
Dickerson urged residents to keep off the roads during the storm to stay safe and allow crews to efficiently remove snow.
Jeffrey Eldridge, the Rochester Highway Department’s highway surveyor, agreed.
“Go slow, let us do our jobs and we’ll make it as safe as we can,” he said.
Eldridge said the department is treating this storm just like every other one — salt and sand is fully stocked, and the plows are hooked up and ready to go.
