Politics & Government

Blizzard 2013: Woonsocket Mopping Up After "Overwhelming Response" To Plow Callout

Roads remain narrow as DPW turns to widening, sanding operations.

UPDATE, 2:12 p.m. : Mount St. Charles is closed Monday. Accepted students day is postponed.

UPDATE, 2 p.m. : Woonsocket Public Schools are canceled Monday and Tuesday, no activities.

Highway Director Rick Lambert reports the city's streets are cleared, thanks to the help of an "overwhelming response" to the city's call for plows during the Blizzard of 2013.

Find out what's happening in Woonsocketwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It was outstanding and well-appreciated," Lambert said. Unfortunately, they didn't get the big six-wheel trucks they'd been hoping for, so while the roads are clear, most are still pretty narrow.

Lambert said 17 local pickup truck plows responded to Chief Gary Lataille's plea for help clearing the roads after half the city's snowplow fleet broke down.

Find out what's happening in Woonsocketwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The highway director said a combination of the age of the trucks and the unusually high amount of snow - two feet - contributed to the breakdowns. He noted the snow also took out the transmission on one contractor's relatively new truck. Lambert said the situation was understandable given the city's troubled finances and the millions of dollars required to replace trucks.  

A parking ban remains in effect for the city through 9 a.m. Monday, and police will continue to aggressively ticket and tow violators. The Governor's travel ban was lifted yesterday at 4 p.m., but one readers' report highlights the risk of unecessary travel on the narrow roads.

Woonsocket Patch reader Jonathan Hayes wrote in this morning about an accident he witnessed on Rhodes Avenue. A car driving up Rhodes got stuck in a snow bank when a second car pulled out of Friendly Nursing Home's lot.

No one was injured, according to Hayes, but the photo he sent in doesn't show much room for cars to avoid each other on the road.

Today, Lambert said the DPW road crew's objective is to widen main roads, expanding to more secondary roads and clearing some municipal parking areas. After that, a sanding operation will commence to put down some traction on the roads.

Lambert asked for residents' patience as they work to clear more snow from the streets. He said he's not a fan of getting his driveway plowed in at his own home, but it's a necessary inconvenience as they continue to work. He said they don't have the manpower to clear out every driveway in the city after plows go through again, unfortunately.

  • Woonsocket Area Career & Techncial Center (WACTC) - Open House scheduled for 1 p.m. is canceled today.
  • Mount St. Charles - Events scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 10 - the 7th Grade Communion Breakfast and the Accepted Students & Parents Day - have been postponed. New dates for both events will be announced soon.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here