Bridgewater Mayor Responds To Frustration Over Snow Removal

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Some residents have been airing their grievances and frustration over the snow removal in Bridgewater. Mayor Matthew Moench said he understands their concerns and explained the current situation:

"I understand that several residents are frustrated with perceived delays in snow removal during and following this winter storm. It is important to contextualize the situation we are all in, in that, this was the most significant storm this area has seen in many years. That is not solely due to the amount of snow we received, but the duration of it, lasting from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday evening with high winds," said Moench.

Moench noted that DPW crews have been working nearly 3 days straight in order to clear the snow.

However, the township hit issues when 5 out of the 6 contractor trucks went out of service early in the storm which meant our crews had to do their best to fill in the gaps. Additionally, several Township trucks experienced mechanical issues. These issues are not uncommon during snowstorms.

Moench said these issues and delaus were not connected to last year's reduction in the township's workforce — which included layoffs of 14 employees from the Department of Public Works, Construction and Municipal Court and the elimination of 10 positions.

"Any delays that residents are experiencing is in no way related to any 2020 budget cuts. We have fully staffed crews working all of our operational equipment," said Moench. "This does not lessen the concerns and frustrations we are hearing from our residents."

Crews are still out on the roadways continuing to clear areas for safe travel.

"We are continuing to address all trouble areas while simultaneously running a salting operation to make the roadways safer as we await increased temperatures in the coming days. We will not stop working until all issues are addressed to the best of our ability," said Moench.

After this cleanup, Moench said the township will be doing a postmortem on this storm and the Township's response.

"We can always do better and we will be better," said Moench.

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