Snow Plows To Clear Roads Throughout Ocean County

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ - Snow cleanup efforts are underway by the Ocean County Road Department after nearly 1 foot of snow fell in southern Ocean County on Monday.

According to the National Weather Service, 9.3 inches of snow were counted in Barnegat and 5 inches were measured in Forked River around 3:15 p.m.

Heavy snow was still falling late Monday afternoon in the southeastern part of the state. Final snow totals are pending from the National Weather Service.

“Ocean County is prepared to handle winter weather whether it be snow, ice, a wintry mix or storms,” said the incoming Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners John P. Kelly. “Our County departments work in partnership to assure safety on our roads and continued accessibility to our programs and services.”

According to Ocean County Road Supervisor Scott Waters, road crews started at the southern part of the county near Lacey Road south.

“We are seeing an accumulation of a slushy mix on our roads. We have already put down salt and we are plowing County roads in areas that need it,” he said. “We will continue to monitor the weather throughout the day and address areas that may be receiving snow or a wintry mix.”

When enough snow falls to warrant plowing, the first of the county roads to be cleared are the 500 series, which includes such main roads as Hooper Avenue in Toms River Township, and Route 571, which travels through Toms River Township to Jackson Township. In Southern Ocean County, those roads include Route 539.

"We start with these main roads and work our way to the secondary roads," Waters said.

The Ocean County Road Department and Bridge Department can mobilize a fleet of about 200 trucks and other vehicles and about 175 employees to salt and clear roads when the weather turns bad.

Prior to the winter months, crews spend their time readying salt spreaders and making sure enough plows are attached to trucks.

When temperatures drop and rain is not part of the forecast, snow clearing usually first entails brining the 1,600 plus lane miles of county roads by spreading a mixture of road salt and water.

“Brine is a cost-effective way of keeping snow from piling up on the roads,” Waters said. “Coating the road surface with brine before the snow starts falling makes it easier to plow later.”

At about 8 or 9 cents a gallon, it’s cheaper than liquid calcium, according to Waters.

The county mixes brine at three 10,000-gallon tanks located at garages in Plumsted, Toms River and Stafford townships.

Six tanker trucks deliver the mixture. The largest truck, a 5,500-gallon tractor trailer, can cover Route 539 in brine from Plumsted to Tuckerton and back, Waters said.

“Brine is an excellent option for storms where forecasts call for the precipitation to begin as snow, it doesn’t work for storms that begin as rain and later change to snow,” Waters said. “The rain washes it away very quickly. We didn’t brine for the Jan. 3 snow because it was raining beforehand and the temperatures were in the high 50s.”

The county is also prepared with 30,000 tons of treated salt. The county uses salt treated with calcium chloride which does a better job when clearing snow and ice.

The Ocean County Road Department is also responsible for clearing all the county parking lots including the vocational-technical centers, the resource centers, Transportation Department, and libraries.

The Road Department is assisted by other county departments including Solid Waste Management, Buildings and Grounds and Parks and Recreation.

“It's a cooperative effort on the part of the County to make certain our residents are safe,” Kelly said. “The cooperation makes for a much smoother and efficient operation.”

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