Middletown urges caution on roads as snow crews get prep for winter storm

Credit: City of Middletown

Ahead of an stormy weekend forecast, the city of Middletown is prepping for snow and ice removal.

Middletown Public Works will clear 40,000,000 square feet of pavement citywide — more than 650 lane miles of roadway — and the city has more than 40 operators who drive 20 snow plows.

“We try to focus on the thoroughfares and the collector streets and then the residential (streets) we will try to get in there as quickly as possible,” said Charlie Anderson, public works superintendent.

Anderson advised people on the road to leave ample room for plow trucks and park off street if possible.

If you need to be on the road, Anderson recommended having a small shovel if you need to dig your tires out of the snow, a bag of cat litter or sand for traction and a blanket and flashlight, “always.”

To prep before the storm, a layer of salt brine is put down to prevent the snow and ice from bonding to the roadway if rain is not expected before the storm. Once temperatures reach below 15 degrees, snow and ice is treated with calcium chloride.

“The colder it is, the harder it is to get snow off the ground,” Anderson said.

Every effort is made to schedule available employees for 12-hour shifts during extended winter weather.


Weather reports are forecasting lots of snow and bad road conditions. Stay on top of the latest news with this big storm:

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