County Road Crews Poised for Snow

With more than 1,000 tons of salt delivered in the last three days alone, Union County is ready for snowmageddon.

Road crews were at work this afternoon getting the county's 45 plows and spreaders set to go when the storm hits north Jersey, which forecasters predict will arrive sometime late tonight, said Joseph Graziano, county director of engineering, public works and facilities.

There are 177 miles of county roads that the crews have to keep clear,  Graziano said, estimating that some of the drivers will log upwards of 250 to 300 miles before the storm moves on to New England.

"With the Watchung mountains along the county's northern border and the sheer number of roads that run the length and breadth of the county, keeping all these thoroughfares clear during a major storm is a herculean chore," said Freeholder Chairman Daniel Sullivan. "But over the years, the county's road crews have proven that whatever the obstacles, they get the job done."

While the two million pounds of salt came just in time, it will be disappearing almost as quickly.  The first salting will probably run through almost 200 tons, Graziano said, noting that the average spreader carries an eight-ton load.

In order to cut down on the time required to restock the spreaders, the county maintains three salt domes in Scotch Plains, Springfield and Elizabeth and shares several others in Berkeley Heights, Cranford and Linden. And to keep the spreaders rolling, there will be six loaders at those storage domes prepared to refill the trucks as soon as they come in.

With the latest weather report telling him to expect eight to 12 inches of snow in Union County, Graziano says his crews are ready. And fortunately there are no indications at this point that the area will be walloped the way south Jersey was in the last storm.

"Nothing was worse in this area than '96—that was three days non-stop.  That was the worst," Graziano said. "After one of those, these other storms just come and go."