Camden County Road Crews on the Job

Share this:

(Lindenwold, NJ) – Well in advance of the first sign of precipitation, preparations have already been underway at the Camden County Department of Public Works (CCDPW) to respond to the inclement conditions and keep traffic moving throughout the region

“Our CCDPW crews have been pretreating roads, checking the plows and loading the salt trucks while rest of us wait for the first signs of the coastal storm arriving later this morning. Even though we know that this round won’t be the worst of the storm, be mindful that sleet can make even treated roadways treacherous.” said Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works. “This is an all-hands-on-deck weather event for the department and all personnel will be on the job.”

Snow and sleet is expected to develop by 11 a.m. today and could become moderate to heavy this afternoon before tapering off for an overnight lull in precipitation. Snow arrives early in the morning tomorrow and is expected to continue until midnight with intermittent heavy bursts and wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour.

“We are planning for a long and complicated storm with higher accumulation totals than originally forecasted,” Shin Angulo said. “At this point, there is a very real possibility of a up to 10 inches of snow falling in our area before this weather event is over, so we ask the public to be prepared.”

At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

In light of the heavy winds during the storm DPW crews will also be preparing for downed trees similar to the March 3, winter weather event. Chippers and chainsaws are being serviced now for the possibility of extended use over the next 48-hours. 

“If you don’t have to travel, please stay off the roads to give our crews the ability to effectively do their job.  Anyone on the roadways during the storm should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions.  Always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work, and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our operations,” Shin Angulo said.  “Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”

In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, please remember to immediately call your utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power. Any storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines, so residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

As always, please use 911 for emergencies only. If you see a problem on a county road, please call our 24-hour hotline at (856) 566-2980 to report it to DPW.

Continue to check www.camdencounty.com through the storm for weather and road condition updates.  Information will also be provided through Facebook and Twitter.