Nutley Is Ready For The Snow, Town Commissioner Says

NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley is battening down the hatches ahead of a winter snowstorm predicted to hit this weekend. But town workers actually began planning for it months ago, officials said Friday.

Weather forecasters are warning New Jersey residents about an ugly snowstorm expected to hit this weekend. Up to 18 inches of snow is predicted for some parts of the state; it's expected to arrive Friday evening into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

"Travel could be very difficult to impossible," the NWS advised. Read More: Blizzard, Winter Storm Warnings Ahead Of Nor'easter

>> Want local updates about weather alerts? Sign up for Patch email newsletters.

On Friday, Nutley Town Commissioner Joseph Scarpelli said that with nearly 200 lane miles of public roads to maintain, the town’s Department of Public Works takes snow removal very seriously.

“We thoroughly plan ahead for winter weather, and continuously work to improve our snow removal operations, with the understanding that every snow event is different and procedures may change based on the nature of each storm,” Scarpelli said.

“When it snows, we work around the clock to keep our roadways clear for residents, local businesses and first responders,” Scarpelli continued. “We take pride in our responsibility and are committed to doing an excellent job in the face of changing and often challenging weather conditions.”

Despite this commitment, Scarpelli said that he’s often heard the same question from Nutley residents when it snows: “Why hasn’t my street been plowed yet?”

“Not all roads can be plowed at once, which is why we prioritize the streets in Nutley’s entire road network to ensure safe travel conditions as quickly as possible,” Scarpelli explained.

“We organize the town into 20 sub-areas,” Scarpelli said. “No neighborhood is assigned to be last. Plowing equipment is assigned to each of these sub-areas at the start of the plowing shift, and crews all begin their plowing duties at the same time.”

According to the commissioner, the different categories of road priorities are:

PRIMARY

• Roads: Major roadways that provide for high traffic volumes over medium to long distances. These are also the most important roads for first responders, who need to get to homes quickly. It also allows every resident to only travel a couple of blocks in order to find a clear street during the height of a storm.

SECONDARY

• Roads: Collectors that distribute traffic between major and local roads, serve as main connectors to primary roads.

TERTIARY

• Roads: Local roads, dead ends and cul-de-sacs.
• Municipal parking lots

“The men and women of the Department of Public Works take extreme pride in their work and do an outstanding job, many times working through the night to assure Nutley roads are safe” Scarpelli said.

“It’s gratifying to hear from our residents that travel outside our borders that there is a stark difference between our roads and the surrounding communities,” Scarpelli added. “Those comments are very much appreciated by myself and the entire department.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.