Berkeley Mayor Estimates Plowing Could Take At Least 24 Hours

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - It will take at least 24 hours to clear Berkeley's roadways after the Nor'easter that hit on Wednesday, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said.

"The snow is wet, deep and heavy," the mayor wrote on his Facebook page shortly before midnight. "Plowing operations are going slow because of these conditions."

Berkeley has experienced some power outages and downed trees, the mayor said.

As of midnight, Berkeley had received 13.5 inches of snow, the highest amount in Ocean County, according to the National Weather Service.

Berkeley has a protocol in place to plow the township's 271 miles of roadway and more than 300 cul-de-sacs.

Trucks and salting and sanding vehicles hit the roads at the start of a snowstorm. The township starts plowing once the snow accumulations have reached five inches, the mayor said.

Major roadways are usually done first, then secondary roadways. To read the rest of the protocol, click here.

Both the Central Regional and Berkeley Township school districts are closed on Thursday.

Photo: Patch file photo