Heavy snow, lack of plow drivers creating problems on the roads for Fitchburg residents

FITCHBURG, Mass. — “The hills are pretty bad I’ve already seen a couple cars get stuck,” said Charlie Negron.

He lives in the Fitchburg Hills, which saw large accumulations of snowfall Tuesday morning. It’s bad enough now and he’s not looking forward to the expected ice over, similar to what happened over the weekend. “It was pretty bad. I didn’t even want to try driving,” said Negron.

Fitchburg, like many other municipalities, is challenged by the lack of snowplow drivers. They have 25 to 28 contractors whereas they used to have 50 to 60. Additionally, they only have a handful of city vehicles. Due to the lack of plows, workers expect it will take the better part of the day and night to clear the roads.

The city’s mayor is handling all road questions. “Our DPW and our contractors were out yesterday pretreating, and they were back in at 4 this morning treating the roads,” said Mayor Sam Squailia. “We feel confident in the road treatment today.”

Residents in other parts of the city are preparing for the slick conditions expected to set in overnight as the temperature drops.

“We live over in west Fitchburg where it is wicked hilly and over there it is relatively untouched,” said Matthew Easler. “That’s why I came out to get groceries I heard it was supposed to get a little warmer later and then normally ices up after that.”

There is a snow emergency in effect with a parking ban lasting until 5 tomorrow morning.

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