Extra patrols will be on hand to ensure coverage of potential trouble spots, help plow operators
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A sign on the New Jersey Turnpike near exit 7A (Bordentown/Trenton) shows the speed limit reduced to 35 mph on Dec. 26, 2010, as a blizzard begins to blanket the area with snow.With forecasts calling for 6 inches of snow or more in some areas, State Police will have extra troopers on New Jersey highways today to assist plow operators and avoid problems like those that arose during last month’s blizzard.
Besides extra patrols, some troopers will accompany plow operators, not in a supervisory capacity, but as an extra set of eyes and ears, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a State Police spokesman.
"We’re using different deployment strategies based on recent experiences," Jones said of the new policy, which will be employed for all snowstorms. "They’ll help with the collection of information."
In the past, extra State Police details have accompanied plows along the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Atlantic City Expressway. But the new strategy will expand on that, he said, to ensure coverage of other potential trouble spots — such as Routes 80, 78 and 280, where hundreds of motorists became stranded during the Dec. 26 blizzard, which dumped up to 3 feet of snow in some areas.
Many of the problems state Department of Transportation plow operators encountered during the blizzard involved situations troopers can address, Jones said.
For example, if vehicles become stuck in the snow, troopers can radio for tow trucks to rescue motorists. Or, he said, police cruisers can serve as deterrents to motorists who attempt to pass snow plows, which can often lead to the vehicles getting stuck and blocking plowing operations.
Neither Jones nor DOT spokesman Joseph Dee would say how many extra troopers would be on the roads today.
But Dee said the extra patrols highlight the importance of communication among state officials.
"We’re emphasizing something we’ve been doing, and we’re emphasizing it because we know how important it is,’’ he said.
Snow is expected to begin falling this morning over much of the state. And although this storm won’t measure up to the blizzard in terms of accumulation, some parts of New Jersey could see 6 inches or more, according to the National Weather Service.
"It’s not a big storm, but it’s going to have a significant impact in the morning, and it’s going to refresh the snow cover," said Walter Drag, a weather service meteorologist in Mount Holly.
State transportation officials came under fire last week from some mayors in Monmouth and Ocean counties who said major highways in their communities went unplowed after the blizzard, leading to a domino effect of problems that paralyzed the area. In one case, a 15-mile stretch of Route 18 through Monmouth County was closed for three days.
Meanwhile, the Turnpike Authority is still making payments to contractors who did battle during the blizzard.
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The agency — which operates both the turnpike and parkway — earmarked $7.8 million in its operating budget for snow removal in 2010, and an additional $14.5 million for "extraordinary snow events" in the supplemental capital budget, spokesman Tom Feeney said. That includes the cost for labor and materials like salt solution to pour on the road, he said.
But most of that money was already depleted when the Dec. 26 storm hit, Feeney said. The turnpike had spent $21 million of the total $22.3 million set aside in 2010 on earlier snowstorms, he said.
Last month’s blizzard cost an additional $7.5 million, Feeney said.
In Belmar, where cleanup from the blizzard has cost $80,000 so far, Mayor Matthew Doherty said the borough is ready for today’s storm.
"We’d prefer to go through the rest of the winter season without any snow, but we’ll deal with whatever Mother Nature sends our way,’’ Doherty said. "There’s only 141 more days till Memorial Day weekend.’’
The Record contributed to this report.