HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Crews across Connecticut have been gearing up for this weekend’s storm. They are making sure they are ready to respond once the snow starts to fall.

“We’ve had all our crews out, working on the trucks, checking our plows, checking hydraulics systems, checking the sanders,” Dwight Ryniewicz, director of Vernon Public Works said.”We’ve had a couple of safety training classes for tire chains and for proper plowing operations.”

In Vernon, roads were pre-treated on Thursday.

“We have a brine maker and they loaded it up onto the brine trucks and they’re treating all our roads, especially our bridges and hill sections,” Ryniewicz said.

Departments are watching the forecast closely and staffing accordingly.

“From the looks of it, we’ll be coming in late Friday evening, about 11 p.m. or midnight, to start working with the snowfall,” Michael Looney, director of Hartford’s Department of Public Works said.

Technology has also been a game-changer when it comes to tackling clean-up.

“All of our trucks are GPS-equipped,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said. “In real-time, we can monitor and watch where our routes and where our drivers are and be able to reallocate resources accordingly if we see one neighborhood hasn’t been touched in a certain number of hours.”

As soon as the snow starts, everyone is urged to use caution and to be patient as staffing shortages have impacted communities statewide. 

“We’re down plow truck drivers, like everybody,” Stewart said. “We’re down about a dozen drivers. That’s going to impact our ability to get staff in, but if it’s not a long-duration storm, we’ll be okay.”

Staying home and off the roads will make this process easier for them, too.

“If folks don’t need to travel, please stay home, stay warm, stay safe,” Mark Rolfe, deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation said. “Give our folks the chance they need to on the roads.”

You are also reminded to be mindful of the plows and give them the space they need to do their work. 

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