FEBRUARY 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 17
SNOW PREP
SUFFOLK
PLOWS AHEAD
By STEVE BELLONE
Suffolk County Executive
Winter is upon us, and that
means the inevitable: snow. The
good news, however, is that Suffolk
County is more prepared than ever
to handle what the weather throws
our way.
In an effort to better serve our residents,
I recently announced a $5 million
investment to upgrade our fleet
to improve road safety, better assist
stranded motorists, and use less salt
on the roads. And to protect the local
taxpayer, nearly 40 percent will be
funded through federal grants.
The upgrades include the purchase
of 12 new 10-wheel Mack dump
trucks equipped with wing plows. In
addition to enhanced plow capabilities,
these trucks are equipped with
the functionality to pre-wet the salt
as it is being spread onto the road.
Rather than bouncing off the road
surface or being cleared off by flowing
traffic like rock salt, the pre-wetted
salt clings to the pavement. This
technique requires less salt, making
it not only more effective, but environmentally
friendly as well.
We also purchased three brandnew
payloaders, fully funded by
federal grants. Payloaders are a
vital component of the snow removal
operation because they can move
large amounts of snow or salt over
short periods of time without taking
any plow off the road. To accompany
these payloaders, we purchased
snow blower attachments for each.
They will strengthen our East End
response efforts by helping to clear
roads along vast open spaces like
farmland that see significant snow
drifting.
Additionally, earlier this year the
county began the process of building
a new salt barn along the Nicolls
Road corridor, which is expected
to be completed by the end of the
year. The new facility will include
a streamlined layout and increased
capacity.
Not only are we focused on clearing
and plowing the roads, we are
focused on better assisting motorists.
We have all seen motorists, during
the height of a storm, becoming
trapped or stuck. A stranded vehicle
in the snow is a major safety risk, not
only for the passengers in the car, but
for our police officers as well.
In order to better assist stranded
motorists, our police department
has invested in four new power
winches. These powered winches
are the preferred method for removing
stranded vehicles because
they are not only more reliable, but
greatly reduce the risk of damage
to either vehicle during the towing
process. We are committed to
using safer, faster, more effective
equipment.
Residents can rest assured that
we are ready for any snowstorm in
the new year, with new state-of-theart
equipment designed to improve
safety and our responses.
POINT OF VIEW
“Residents can rest assured that we are
ready for any snow storm."
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
