With Break in Snowfall, Highway Dept. "Doing Fine"

Though no snow is forecasted in the near future, the white stuff still remains all around us as cold temperatures prevent much of a thaw. With several weeks left in the winter season, however, Highway Superintendent George Woodson is saying his department is in good shape despite record snowfalls last month which fell upon Long Island.

“We’re doing fine,” Riverhead Highway Superintendent George Woodson said. “We still have money left in the budget for a few more storms.”

A lot, however, depends on just how big the next storm may be.

According to records from the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, in conjunction with the National Weather Service, January 2011, during which 35.7 inches of snow fell, is the snowiest on record (according to data that goes back to 1947). While this season’s overall snowfall of 55.5 inches is well above the average of 31.1 inches, the snowiest season on record was the winter of 1995-1996 when 90.8 inches fell at the BNL.

In addition, the topography on the East End differs from other parts of Long Island, Woodson said, explaining that high-wind storms coupled with wide-open farm fields often necessitates more frequent plowing in order to keep the main roads clear and open. Fifty inches can turn into five-foot gusts in certain areas.

With temperatures hovering below freezing at the beginning of the month - and snow and ice melting and refreezing - crews were heading out multiple times to deal with the ramifications of just one storm. But as a few days with temperatures over 40 degrees have popped up in the past week and a half, one particular repercussion has been that of potholes. Woodson said he’s been sending three trucks out each day to fill in potholes around town, more than he has in any of his previous thee winters as department head.

However he added that spot paving his department has done around town over the past couple of years has decreased the number of potholes – it’s just that those which are filled usually don’t last more than a couple of weeks. And the worst is yet to come.

“A lot of potholes haven’t popped out yet,” said Sue Beal, senior administrative assistant in the department. “Once the ground starts thawing out, that’s when they’re going to pop out.”

Budget numbers show that the “blacktop, oil, and patch” budget line item – from which cold patch is purchased to fill potholes – contains $300,000 for the current fiscal year. Beal said about $15,000 has been spent so far.

According to Woodson, the town has already used 1,000 tons of salt since the first snowstorm of the season on Dec. 26. The past several winters, the highway department has been increasing its supply of salt by about 300 tons; this year’s order was for 2,700 tons, according to Beal.

The department started the year with a budget of $175,000 for salt and other contractual expenses. Currently, there is $31,000 left in that account; however, Beal said, she is working on a purchase order for an additional $75,000 which will be available, if necessary.

Approximately $70,000 of the Highway Department’s overtime budget for 2011 has already been spent, leaving about $40,000 for the remainder of the year, Beal said. That includes snow removal and any potential issues involving flooding this spring.

If that budget is depleted, the highway department will have to dip into its reserve account, which according to Beal has not been touched since the early 1990s. The reserve account, maintained by the Town financial advisor, was not touched last year despite heavy snowfall.

“You have to do what you have to do, but we try very hard to leave that account alone,” Beal said.

Only time—and Mother Nature—will tell how much more snow will accumulate this winter.

“We haven’t been in this situation since I’ve been in office,” Woodson said.