Johnston "Didn't Really Have An Issue," Says DPW Director

Johnston got through Sunday night's snowstorm in very good shape, thanks to good timing and thorough planning, said Department of Public Works Director Makram H. Megalli.

During an interview at the DPW garage this morning, Megalli said his department started preparations as early as midnight Sunday, several hours before the storm, to be ready for the expected blizzard conditions.

"We had everything organized -- we were ahead of the storm," Megalli explained. "We didn't want the storm to gain ground."

Megalli estimated that Johnston got 15 to 16 inches of snowfall, with the highest accumulations in the overnight hours from Sunday to Monday.

By Monday morning, the town's roads were clean to the pavement, with a residue of salt and sand providing traction for cars. Megalli said the constant treatment during the height of the storm allowed local crews to maintain wider lanes of travel on the roads.

"Our streets are plowed much wider than some of our neighboring towns," Megalli said, adding that he'd seen streets in Providence with barely one clear lane.

Megalli also explained that the timing of the storm -- on a Sunday afternoon following Christmas, with no school or town offices open, and following regular warnings to get off the roads by nightfall -- helped the local highway department react more effectively to the snowfall.

"Because it was a holiday (weekend), we really didn't have an issue with the traffic," he said.

As the effort wound down Monday morning, Megalli praised the men and women of his department who, in coordination with several local private plowing contractors, ensured that 43 pieces of snow-clearing equipment met the challenge of the winter's first major storm.

"Everybody was working together through the ranks," Megalli stated.