Snow Policy

The Harwinton Public Works Department is preparing for the Winter Season. New England is known for its variety of weather conditions, and they all come in extremes.

The primary responsibility of maintaining the transportation network by making it accessible and safe rests with the Town’s Public Works Department. However, successful battles against the onslaught of winter, also requires the cooperation and informed assistance of all residents. This plan outlines the snow removal procedure of the Town and offers suggestions on how you can help. It briefly describes how together we can minimize the impact of winter storms. It should be noted that during long duration storms, the Public Works Department, may have reduced services from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. to allow snow plow operators rest breaks.

Snow and Ice Control Plan

1st Stage- Application of a Pretreatment Material

During some types of predicted winter storms the Town of Harwinton may, at its discretion, apply treated salt to its highways in anticipation of the impending storm to provide for a safer highway during the first hours of a storm.

2nd Stage – Treated Salt or Sand and Salt

When winter precipitation starts and snow accumulates, the Public Works Department dispatches 8 trucks with plows down clearing the center of streets while dispensing a treated salt, or a 7to2 sand and salt mix. You must have your vehicles parked off the street at all times from November thru March as per ordinance #14. Since many storms happen at night, the Public Works Department may operate overnight in order to get you to work or school in the morning and can do so more efficiently if there are no cars parked on the streets.

3rd Stage – Full Scale Plowing 

Operations are conducted over 8 designated routes. Within each route, certain streets are designated as primary routes to be cleared first so that, all areas of Town can be reached by snow removal crews and emergency vehicles. During this phase “plow trucks” will first “open up” primary and then secondary routes. This means that at the end of the drivers salting or salt/sand stage, a minimum of two passes will be made so that the road is open to traffic (approximately 20 feet of road). After all streets are opened or during and after the heaviest accumulations, the drivers, will begin to push back the accumulated snow to the gutter line to gain maximum width of road surface. This work is also vital on our streets because melting snow needs to get to the storm water basins. Widening will be done as soon as possible and practical, because the banks may freeze and become more difficult to move at a later time.

YOU CAN HELP by staying off the roads unless it’s absolutely necessary. If urgent business or an emergency requires you to be on the street during this stage, be sure your vehicle is equipped with chains or snow tires. Drive with extreme caution and keep your travel to a minimum. Also it would be wise to wait until plowing is finished before attempting to open up the end of your driveway and remember that no person shall plow or throw or cause to be plowed or thrown any snow or ice from any premises, onto or in any state or municipal highway, street, shoulder, or sidewalk in the Town of Harwinton, in such a manner as to cause inconvenience or hazard to public travel as per Town Ordinance #97.

4th Stage –Salting or Sanding

Once plowing operations have been completed, trucks are assigned salting or sanding routes. Treated salt applications or sanding operations using a 7to2 mix of sand and salt will continue until all Town streets needing treatment have been covered. You can help by continuing to limit your travel to necessary trips and remembering to give the Public Works Department’s equipment room to operate safely.

Residents Sand

Sand/salt mixture for resident use is located across the street from the Town Garage at #104 Locust Road. Please remember this sand is for residential use only and is limited to two 5-gallon pails per trip. The Public Works Department asks that you not go to this bin during snow storms to avoid conflict with plowing trucks entering-exiting the Garage.