Berkeley's Protocol For Snowstorm Plowing

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Getting a little annoyed because your road hasn't been plowed yet?

Be patient. Berkeley has a protocol in place for dealing with snowstorms.

The township has 271 miles of roadway and over 300 cul-de-sacs and dead ends to clear. Depending on how much snow falls, it takes township plows and contractors 24 to 36 hours to clear the roads, the mayor says.

"For every 8 hours of snow plowing operations, the cost to Berkeley Township is $100,000," he has said. "We encourage residents to opt-in and sign up for our Nixle notification system."
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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.

The township will utilize approximately 70 pieces of township and contractor equipment and approximately 30 contracted loaders for cul-de-sacs and courts. All streets at a minimum receive one pass through to enable emergency vehicle access. Then all streets should be opened curb to curb to insure the drains are opened, Amato said.

Each snowplow has been assigned a section to plow and will remain in that section until all roadways have been sufficiently cleaned. This may require the snowplow vehicle to make multiple passes on each street.

Township forces will be plowing each street from curb to curb during each snowfall that exceeds 5 inches.

Sometimes, because of the lack of areas between the sidewalk and curb, sidewalks and driveway aprons may become covered with snow that falls off the snowplow blade. Township forces do not remove snow from any sidewalk or driveway apron in these instances.

Snow cannot be disposed of into the street from the property, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks.

All snow blowers should be directed to blow snow back onto the property. Anyone who blows snow back into the roadway could receive a summons for non-compliance, Amato said.

Any questions on these policies and procedures, call Steven J. Seiler, Director of Public Works at:732-349-4616 or 732-341-1022. Or you can e-mail: btpwsec@twp.berkeley.nj.us
Image: Patch file photo.