West Hartford Department of Public Works Director John Phillips will provide updates throughout the Nov. 26, 2014 snowstorm.

Side streets in West Hartford are slushy. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

UPDATED, 5:30 p.m.

Director of Public Works John Phillips provided the following update:

The arterial roads have been slushed off. It’s mainly raining with a few wet snowflakes mixed in. Temperatures have not gone below freezing for the entire storm. That means there is plenty of water ponding on the road because the catch basin tops are clogging with the slushy snow. Watch for hydroplaning if you must drive tonight.

WHDPW did not issue a parking ban because the snow accumulation is much lower than expected and the challenges of snow plowing around parked cars is minimal. However, we ask you to please be respectful to the snow clearing operation and avoid parking on street when possible. It’s safer for you and safer for the snow plow truck operator.

Because the rest of the evening’s forecast is still undetermined, we don’t know if we will see additional snow accumulation. DPW plow truck operators are still in phase II of our operational plan which is to just maintain plow routes to keep street passable and as safe as possible during an active storm especially while frozen or near frozen precipitation is still falling. We hope we can start a final clean up soon so we, too, can join our family and friends on this night before Thanksgiving. I know I have side dishes to prep for tomorrow’s feast. I’m Thankful for my supportive wife.

UPDATED, 3:30 p.m.

Director of Public Works John Phillips provided the following update:

At 3 p.m. the DPW management team has developed an arterial snow clearing plan, which means you will see WHDPW trucks working in groups of three or four to clear the arterial streets such as Trout Brook, Farmington, Boulevard, etc.

The snow is heavy and wet. The cast of snow is powerful and comes off the plow blade with a lot of force, even at slow speeds. Please use caution and drive behind our plow truck and allow them to clear the road as safely as possible.

Our goal is to clear the arterials to provide a safe as possible evening commute. After that, the crews will most like take a dinner break after what has been a long 12-hour work day so far.

WHDPW will be maintaining assigned routes until we can best determine the snow has ended before we start our final clean up. There is no estimated time as to when that will be at this time.

ORIGINAL STORY

West Hartford’s Department of Public Work suspended all regular work as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to concentrate on the storm.

The fleet was fully inspected, plows were attached, and trucks were loaded with material.

At noon, Director John Phillips said in an email that all DPW drivers have “been assigned a route and are either on their routes our on their way. The higher elevations of town saw snow collecting on the street before the lower areas such as Elmwood. But as of noon, all route assignments will be maintained until further notice.”

Phillips said that contractors had not been called in at the time. “WHDPW is watching the weather very closely has we have already seen slight changes in the forecast and freezing precipitation line. Each storm has its own personality. We can expect the same from this storm as well. Happy Thanksgiving, WestHartford!”