WINDSOR, Vt. (WCAX) – Saturday’s snowstorm dropped up to 3 feet of snow in parts of our region. In the Upper Valley, that means a lot of cleanup for road crews.
The snowstorm may have passed but the cleanup continues in towns and cities across our region, like Windsor, where there is a lot of snow that needs to be removed.
“We measured between 24 and 27 inches around town,” Windsor Town Manager Tom Marsh said.
Snow removal in Windsor, less than two days after a March storm blanketed the region, is focused on widening roads in neighborhoods and hauling away the white stuff piled up closer to downtown.
“They are calling for rain later in the week and if our storm drains are still covered up or ice in the way, that can cause some pretty big problems,” Marsh said.
In nearby Lebanon, New Hampshire, front-end loaders dropped bucket after bucket of snow into dump trucks, making room for more cars. By midday Monday, huge piles remained.
“Clearing spaces around Coburn Park and back parking lots to continue with parking areas,” said Pat McCarthy of Lebanon Public Works.
Road crews say they need to be fairly gentle with their work because frost in the ground is gone thanks to the mild temperatures earlier this March. Drains are being shoveled by hand.
“Having the heavy equipment on sidewalks or on the main roads we could catch a basin or a piece of curbing creating more damage for crews to have to repair in the spring,” McCarthy said.
Back in Windsor, as the widening continues, the roads are clear downtown and most sidewalks are, as well. However, a small sidewalk section remains untouched.
“Unfortunately, it hit a piece of pipe that was in the snow on the sidewalk and blew out the auger,” Marsh said.
While the storm may have packed a punch for the town of Windsor, it did not break the budget considering snowstorms this season have been few and far between.