N.J. expects up to 18 inches of snow this weekend. Department of Transportation officials say the state is ‘absolutely ready’

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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for parts of the Garden State this weekend. Meteorologist Alex Staarmann with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said the system moving across the country is expected to become a major snowstorm, but a mixed precipitation changeover for a period of time is possible.

“We are closely monitoring the potential for a changeover to a wintry mix, especially across the southern half of New Jersey,” he said. “Possibly as far north as the I-95 corridor, that could reduce snow totals by a couple of inches.”

He said it has the potential to be the biggest storm to hit the region in a decade, with parts of the state getting a foot or more of snow.

Chris Feinthel, assistant commissioner of operations for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, told WHYY News the DOT is “absolutely ready” to face the storm.

“We are getting additional fuel deliveries, and we’ll be at 100% by the weekend, and road salt supplies are over 80%, so we’re in a good place there, and we’re prepping all of our equipment for what looks like a very busy weekend,” Feinthel said. “We have in total 3,400 pieces of snow equipment, so that’s both the spreaders and the plows statewide.”

Feinthel estimated that the DOT has more than 250,000 pounds of road salt and at least 500,000 gallons of brine solution that will be applied onto state roadways.

What is brine and why the roads are brined

Brine is a saltwater solution, and treating roads with brine delays the need to plow.

“It just brings down the freezing point of the asphalt pavement down to 20, sometimes as low as 15 degrees, so it buys us time initially,” Feinthel said. “With a big storm like this, it creates a buffer between the snow that gets packed down and the pavement itself, it allows the plows to really come through in one pass to push everything away.”

All hands on deck

The Department of Transportation has asked its employees to report to work. “We work on 12-hour shifts, so we’re always cycling folks in and out,” Feinthel said. “We have drivers for each of the 3,400 trucks that will be utilized during the storm.”

Residents should prepare ahead of the snowstorm

Officials are urging Garden State residents to stay home when the storm hits.

“Make sure you get food supplies, anything you need, fuel your own vehicles, we’re really encouraging folks to make sure they’re in a position that they won’t have to leave their home,” Feinthel said. “Sunday could potentially be very dangerous out there.”

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said his office is working closely with different municipalities, preparing for the storm and focusing on keeping communities supported and safe.

He said anyone without heat or a warm place should seek help immediately.

“Every municipality has set up their own warming centers within their community, depending on the severity of the storm we generally try to keep our libraries open to serve as warming centers,” Benson said.

All New Jerseyans can check their municipal websites or the state 211 website for updated information about warming centers.

Benson said the Rescue Mission of Trenton is designated as the Code Blue shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The plow trucks are ready to roll

Feinthel said salt spreaders will be loaded and dispatched two to three hours before the first snowflakes fall, and that plow trucks will move into position shortly thereafter.

“They already know exactly where they’re going to go, they know from milepost to milepost exactly what they’re responsible for,” he said. “Really, we just turn them loose and tell them it’s ready to go.”

He noted the road will not be cleared until there’s at least 2 inches of accumulated snow. He said the DOT will be out clearing the roadways for as long as it takes.

“Our goal, what we strive for, is to have all of our routes back to blacktop within two hours after the last snowflake,” he said.

Feinthel pointed out that if the storm drops a foot or more of snow across the region, cleanup may take longer.

“It may go into Monday or Tuesday if we get to the point where there’s so much of it [snow] that we have to do a hauling operation and start actually moving snow off the roads, off the shoulders to a different location,” he said.

Drivers are urged to stay clear of the plows

Feinthel said the plows need space and is advising residents to leave the roads free of cars. “You don’t want to get in the middle of the plow train, you never want to do that, or the front, the best is let the plows do their work,” he said.

He said the plow trucks need to travel slower than the speed limit to do their job. If there’s an emergency and drivers need to be on the road, he suggested that they drive behind the plow trucks as they make their way down the roadway.

Benson is recommending that everyone hunker down once the storm arrives.

“If folks don’t need to be out, they should stay home,” he said. “They should stay off the roads,” he said. “Let the professionals clear the roads. ”