Camden County Crews Clearing Roads As Snowfall Continues

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The Camden County Department of Public Works is treating streets and clearing snow from the county’s 1,200 lane miles of road as snow continues to blanket the region, officials said early Monday afternoon.

“Our DPW crews began checking the plows and loading the salt trucks well before the first snowflakes began to fall early this morning,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the DPW, said. “Our crews are currently working their way through this winter weather event, treating the streets and ensuring that they remain clear for the next 48 hours. Based on the wind and consistent freezing temperatures, we will be working into the night.”

A soaking, winter weather mix began early Monday morning. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, this mix shifted into moderate and even heavy snowfall throughout the area.

Officials expect 2 to 4 inches of snow to hit the region by the end of the storm. Skies are expected to clear by this evening, with the winds dying down as well. Temperatures are expected to drop to the low 20s overnight.

“Anyone on the roadways should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. Remember to always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations,” Dyer said. “Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”

The Camden County Library System will close at 3 p.m. on Monday due to inclement weather.

“With the winter storm passing through today, all branches in the Camden County Library System will close early,” Commissioner Melinda Kane, liaison to the Camden County Library System, said. "We will continue to keep our patrons and the community up to date on any further changes to the schedule of this branch."

Visit http://www.camdencountylibrary.org for the locations and operating hours of the other branches of the Camden County Library System available for your use during this reduction in hours.

At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

In the event the weather causes isolated power outages, residents should immediately call their utility company, so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore power. This storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines. Residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the power providers in Camden County:

1. PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
2. PSE&G website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
3. Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
4. South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
5. South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

As always, residents should use 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road, should call the county’s 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to the CCDPW.