Stay off the roads

Visibility to ‘about zero’ on Midcoast roads, and drifts two to four feet deep

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Tue, 01/27/2015 - 11:45am

    Today — Jan. 27, 2015 — the streets belong to the plow guys. And it is rough going for them right now as the blizzard blows icy snow sideways into large drifts and creates white-out conditions. Route 3 in Montville at the intersection of Bog Road is blocked due to fallen trees and downed power lines, as of 10 a.m. Use alternate roads, the Maine Department of Transportation advises. Better yet, don’t go out on the roads, say local public works crews.

    “Visibility is about near zero and you can't keep your windshield clear,” said Mike Young, Rockport Public Works Director, at 9:45 a.m.

    The governor has declared a state of emergency for Maine today, which means travel conditions are life-threatening, wide-spread power outages probable, public health and safety is threatened, and public property is endangered, and “whereas, the resources of many cities and towns are or will soon be exhausted....”

    Such a proclamation is not just a warning of the storm’s severity, but it is also a necessary governmental announcement to help pave the way for federal financial assistance to help clean up after the storm.

    While government urges the public to remain home, Young and all municipal and state public works crews are out today, tackling the roads and highways. Drifts are collecting in spots, two to four feet high. With winds circling hard, between 35 to 40 mph, sometimes gusting to 60 mph, it can even get hard to maintain the center of the road.

    The blizzard is to keep blowing through the day, and not expected to wind down until this evening. 

     “I think the intensity has picked up just a tad,” said one plower to another.

    These guys have their own special droll sense of humor, and on days like this, theirs is the primary traffic on the scanner.

    There have been a few emergency calls — trees on wires in Montville and carbon monoxide alarms that fire departments respond to — but for the most part, the morning has been dedicated to clearing roads.

    Knox County Sheriff’s deputies are patrolling, and offering assistance to people who might get it into their minds to go for a walk, and discover that with temperatures at 17 F and wind chill values as low as -9, it is not a good day to be out, especially alongside the highways.

    One plower almost hit a cross-country skier, who was dressed in white, with white hat and gloves.

    “It’s inclement weather,” said one plower.

    “Inclimate,” said another, responding over the radio.

    “How about, it’s genesis,” said the first.

    Sometimes their conversations get more colorful for sensitive ears, so we won't relay them here. Suffice to say, they are working to keep the roads cleared so that first responders can get to any emergencies that may occur.

    It is a vital role they are playing right now.

    And they continue to chat with each other, as they ride alone in their cabs, setting the blades down on the pavement and moving snow. They are making constant and frequent passes through their respective routes.

    “Checking to see if your pulse is still working,” one calls to another.

     


    Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657