For Immediate Release: 12/9/2014 3:46 pm
Worcester, MA (December 9, 2014) - As you know, a combination of rain and ice made for a tricky morning commute across the City Tuesday. Here are some answers to the most common questions we’ve been asked:
WHEN DID DPW SALT AND SAND TRUCKS GET ON THE ROAD?
DPW trucks were called in around 11:30 PM Monday, in anticipation of the forecasted storm. An initial group of 15 trucks went out around 1:00 AM, just as the first rain and ice started falling. The City's total complement of 35 trucks were in use shortly thereafter.
WHY DIDN'T THE CITY PRE-TREAT THE ROADS?
DPW typically pretreats City streets in the event of a snowstorm. However, we do not pretreat for a rain event, because the salt simply washes away before it can do any good.
WHAT ARE THE CITY'S PRIORITIES DURING A STORM?
The main routes, which are crucial for public safety, were treated first overnight. Then trucks go to work on the hilly side streets. Because the weather did not warm up as quickly as forecasted, the main streets re-froze and trucks had to go back and treat them a second time, as the rain had washed away much of the initial salt.
WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO REACH MY STREET?
The City of Worcester is responsible for clearing 500 miles of streets, and they were all impacted by today's storm. One major complication this morning was the number of accidents on the roads. DPW trucks had to be pulled from their routes to escort emergency vehicles, which slowed down how quickly they could finish their routes. In total, 178 accidents were reported to dispatchers between 1:00 AM and noon today. A few involved injuries, though none of the injuries was considered serious. At one point, a majority of the salt and sand trucks on the road were deployed to assist emergency vehicles.
We understand how frustrating these kinds of storms can be. Please know that the City of Worcester and all its employees are working as hard as we can to protect public safety and help everyone get where they need to go.
