NEW HAVEN, Conn — New Haven is gearing up for its first plowable snow of the season coming into Connecticut Saturday night into Sunday morning.
“This is the first, really snowstorm we’ve had in over 20 months,” said Rick Fontana, New Haven’s Director of Emergency Management.
Even still, getting the plows ready at the Department of Parks and Public Works is second nature to them. The process started last week when forecasters began making predictions for the storm.
“Last year, we only responded out three times, two to three times. And usually, we go out 16 times a year,” said Steve Mustakos, Superintendent of Streets for New Haven’s Department of Public Works.
On Friday, DPW crews were busy as they began loading the trucks with salt and ensuring all plows were working properly. Saturday morning, they’ll be out on the roads.
“We load it with what’s called brine, the white lines on the roads, we’re going to pre-treat downtown, all the hills, and bridge decks,” Mustakos said.
When the snow starts falling, 40 trucks will be clearing Elm City streets, all 221 miles of them.
“During the storm, the goal is to keep the roads passable and then the pushback operation to the curb doesn’t start until the snow starts tapering off,” said Becky Bombero, Acting Director of the Department of Public Works.
But it’s not just city workers preparing for the storm, New Haven neighbors are asked to take action, too.
“When those plows are coming down the road, make sure that you give them the road, pull to the side it’s like a firetruck or an ambulance or a police car. Pull to the right, let their plows do their work,” Fontana said.
They’re also asking folks to be a good neighbor when clearing sidewalks.
“Make sure you’re doing your three-foot clearance on the sidewalk. I like to think about how a wheelchair or somebody pushing a baby stroller is going to get by,” Bombero said.
Residents will have until 24 hours after the storm to clear their sidewalks. If they don’t, they could face a fine. But city leaders said that’s not the goal, as they’d rather have residents take care of business first.
Outside of DPW operations, the city will have its three warming centers open with extended hours. The extension starts on Saturday at 5 p.m., and the centers will remain open through Monday at 7 a.m. There will also be an overflow site at 200 Orange Street.
The three warming centers are listed below:
- Upon this Rock (INDIVIDUALS 18+)
Address: 130 Orchard Street, New Haven, CT - Name: Varick Memorial (INDIVIDUALS 18+)
Address: 242 Dixwell, New Haven, CT - Name: 180 CENTER (INDIVIDUALS 18+)
Address: 438 East St. New Haven, CT.
There will be a parking ban starting at midnight Saturday for downtown areas and emergency routes.
Alternative parking can be found here.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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