We’ve had a few years of uneventful winter months, but it appears that Mother Nature is trying to catch up now. No matter what happens, the Orange Highway Department is ready to roll.
You may have noticed that when you hit the road after a snow event, Orange roads are well maintained and safe. That is especially evident when you cross the town line into a neighboring community, where it’s a different story.
The other morning I was driving home and saw a guy flying up Old Tavern Road without a care, but when he crossed into Milford, his car started fishtailing and it was apparent that he knew he had to slow down.
It takes planning to get ahead of a storm, and to use your manpower responsibly.
Crew Chief Donny Foyer said they play each storm by ear, adding, Orange treats the roads with straight salt, vs brine or other salt/sand mixtures used elsewhere. He’s found that it works well with the southern CT temperatures.
If you had to drive on Sunday before noon, you will have noticed the 15 hours of hard work the Orange crews put in to keep you safe.
“The boys worked their tails off from 8 p.m. on Saturday night until 11 a.m. on Sunday,” Foyer said. “It was a long shift. Out all night, with contractors coming in later.”
He explained, “It snowed steadily from 10 p.m.- 2 a.m., then it let up a little. Then fresh snow coated the roads and we had to clean up again. There were a few icy spots that we had to tackle.”
There are 12 full time crew members and 4 part-timers that were driving the smaller spare trucks out for the long haul. The 7 contractors were called in after 4-inches had fallen.
The roads were in good shape on Sunday morning, and the sun came out and dried everything up.