(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the State Emergency Operations Center, which is already activated in a virtual capacity for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, will remain activated to monitor and respond to conditions resulting from the significant winter storm that is forecast to impact Connecticut beginning Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday.
In addition, the governor is urging people in Connecticut to avoid all unnecessary travel during the storm, as significant amounts of snowfall are anticipated to cause slick conditions on the roads. The current forecast is calling for parts of Connecticut to receive accumulations of more than a foot of snow and wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour along the coast.
“As we brace for severe winter weather, I encourage everyone to stay informed and stay safe,” Governor Lamont said. “We are continuously monitoring the storm’s intensity and assessing the state’s operations. I urge all residents to avoid unnecessary travel during peak conditions.”
Crews from the Connecticut Department of Transportation on Tuesday began pre-treating road surfaces, such as bridges, and the hills and valleys in higher elevations.
“With heavy and steady snowfall expected starting on Wednesday evening, the Department of Transportation is activated and prepared to clear and treat our roadways,” Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said. “Driving conditions will be treacherous at best and downright dangerous at worst. The best thing the public can do is sit this one out and let our crews do their jobs.”
Additional steps the Department of Transportation has taken to ensure readiness include:
- 1,600 workers within the Highway Operations team have been activated, including more than 1,300 operators and supervisors across the state.
- Roughly 200 contractors are on standby and ready to supplement and augment the state plowing fleet, as has been done in previous storms and winter seasons.
- 634 state plow trucks, 18 industrial loader-mounted snow blowers, and over 100 front-end loaders are ready for deployment.
- Materials, equipment, and spare parts have been stocked at roughly 50 satellite Department of Transportation facilities across the state.
- 30 automated Roadway Weather Information Systems remotely located across the state will continue to provide and stream real-time roadway and atmospheric data to Department of Transportation crews to assist in best reacting to changing weather and road conditions.
- 125 trucks are outfitted with technology – such as road and air temperature sensors, vehicle location, camera windshield imaging – that report real-time road conditions into a newly implemented Maintenance Decision Support System, which helps better inform operating decisions and the deployment of Department of Transportation resources.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for keeping 11,000 lane miles of state roadways clear and safe. All personnel will work throughout the event until after the storm ends and roads are considered safe for the motoring public.
While it is encouraged to avoid driving if at all possible, motorists are encouraged to check www.cttravelsmart.org for the latest road updates and alerts before traveling.