Staff Reports
Chances are, if you live on a dirt road in New Hampshire or Vermont, you and your neighbors are now wishing you had stocked up on toilet paper and provisions going into this past weekend’s rainy stretch.
You might not be getting out any time soon.
Road commissioners from central Vermont to Sullivan County in New Hampshire and beyond have posted or closed dozens of miles of back roads, in some cases because vehicles bogged down in mud are mired so deeply in the soft muck, there is too great a risk of bringing in wreckers and road crews and having them get stuck, too.
Students are having to congregate at uncustomary bus stops in order to get to schools. And town officials around the region report that on the worst roads, efforts are being made to ensure older residents or shut-ins are being checked on, even if it is by telephone or email.
Is this year really that different from other years?
The sticky answer is: Yes. Definitely.
Barely a week ago there was nearly a foot of snow quickly followed by mild temperatures that have loosened up roads — as one Plainfield, Vermont, resident noted — “something fierce.”
“This is probably the worst mud season in 20 years,” said Bill Shepeluk, municipal manager in Waterbury, Vermont.
In response, Waterbury road crews Friday morning were contending with situations on Perry Hill and Gregg Hill roads, where vehicles stuck in mud had led to roads being closed off to through traffic.
“The problem we’re facing is, we’re not getting any freezing temperatures,” Shepeluk said. “If you don’t have to travel on a gravel road, don’t.”
Similar “vehicles stuck”-type anecdotes were reported in more than a dozen Vermont towns — Barre Town, Berlin, Chester, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Marshfield, Middlesex, Moretown, Plainfield, Roxbury, Springfield, Williamstown, and Worcester — and handful of nearby New Hampshire municipalities — Langdon, Lempster, Newport, and Unity. Photos on social media show hundreds of yards of wide, deep ruts in some areas.
The Sunshine Town of Newport put out an official statement on Sunday, March 20, regarding the condition of more than three quarters — or 18 miles — of its maintained dirt roads.
“Of the 24 miles of dirt roads that Newport maintains, approximately 75 percent of them are currently extremely muddy,” the statement reads. “Some to the point of being impassable.”
According to officials, the highway crew has “put out about 1,000 tons of stone in some of the worst sections” as the quick spring thaw has turned the passageways to mud all at once.
“Until things dry out a bit or refreeze, we are unable to haul material into any of these places as it will lead to more extensive damage of the roads,” the statement reads. “We will continue to monitor and rake/back drag when possible.”
The highway crew will remain on full standby to assist with any emergency situation that may arise with police, fire, and/or ambulance.
“With any luck, the warm weather and rain this weekend will help draw the frost out of the ground and then things will begin to dry out.”
In Chester, Vermont, the town office reported numerous calls received about the condition of area dirt roads.
“We have been getting phones calls about muddy roads. We understand that all of Chester’s dirt roads have issues,” reads a statement posted to the town of Chester’s official Facebook page on Friday, March 18. “We understand that it is a real pain for everyone dealing with the road issues. We do not know when these issues will clear up but are hoping within the next few days. God willing. We will be out next week when the weather gives us some cool nights.”
Officials also advised residents not to lay down materials in attempts to improve the roadways and instead recommended to reduce travel in these areas.
“You can expect six inches or more of mud in the next few days. Bringing stone and/or gravel to these roads will only make them worse,” the statement reads. “Limiting your trips in and out of these roads and delaying fuel and package deliveries will help tremendously.”
A white-knuckled driver coming off an especially rutted section of Gonyaw Road in Plainfield, Vermont, yelled to passers-by who had been watching the mud-slinging rollercoaster ride, “That (expletive) sucked. No way I’m getting back tonight … I definitely just made it worse for everybody.”
On Thursday and Friday, school buses were not traveling on either Perry Hill or Gregg Hill in Waterbury. The Harwood Unified Union School District put out bulletins advising families where buses would pick up and drop off students while roads were impassable in multiple towns.
It was not clear whether any buses in central Vermont had gotten stuck this week.
Jennifer Miller-Arsenault, interim superintendent of Washington Central Supervisory Union, replied to a query via email: “We had a few roads that were impassable this morning, primarily in Worcester and Middlesex. In those cases, we rerouted the buses and/or picked up students at the end of the road. The bus company notified families of any necessary changes.”
In some communities, there are also many reports of delayed mail delivery. On Facebook pages and Front Porch Forum, residents with larger vehicles were offering to make deliveries, if necessary. So far most mail deliveries were happening across Waterbury Center with just a handful of addresses unreachable on Gregg Hill in Waterbury on Friday.
Post office staffer Joe Mongeur said carriers are accustomed to mud season challenges. “So far, it’s not been catastrophic.”
The Waterbury Area Senior Center and Twin Valley Senior Center in East Montpelier, Vermont this week were in “mud season mode” for Meals on Wheels deliveries.
“Muddy roads are something we are ready for each year just like snow and ice,” said Justin Blackman, chair of the Waterbury center’s board of directors. At Twin Valley, drivers with more “all-terrain” type vehicles were at the ready, organizers said.
“We will deliver a few frozen meals to have on hand just in case the road conditions prevent delivery. Our staff is in contact with our recipients making sure they are not left without food,” Blackman explained.
Local officials, including town clerks, indicated they were conducting welfare checks on far-afield residents. Fortunately, while roads were impassable, internet and phone service, as well as utilities were unaffected — making reaching out much easier than other storm conditions that make getting to vulnerable residents much harder.
So why is this year so notably different?
Typical weather patterns this time of year see sunshine during the day with mild temperatures that dip below freezing at night. Not only are those good conditions for maple sugaring, but that allows road crews to work at night to grade ruts, add gravel, and get roads passable for traffic the next day. This week though, daytime highs crept into the 60s with little nighttime freezing.
In Worcester, Vermont, crews were out trying to fill in areas that were beyond impassable. On Hampshire Hill, for example, gravity and momentum were getting drivers down to Minister Brook Road, but with no chance of getting back up without significant road repairs.
As of Friday morning, highway workers were on Perry Hill in Waterbury, where they were hoping to get a vehicle towed out. In general, local residents are advised to avoid any unnecessary travel on any gravel roads.
“The more traffic you have on a muddy road, the worse it gets,” Shepeluk said.
The other variable that makes mud season worse is wet conditions. That’s why highway departments are bracing for the weekend with rain in the forecast both Saturday and Sunday.
Shepeluk said spring rains can sometimes be good for gravel roads transitioning from winter conditions.
“It can drive frost out of the ground so it can dry out faster,” he said. But rain on top of significant mud won’t mean drying out soon. “It’s bad in the short term,” he added.
Local residents on roads that are closed or badly rutted are reminded to check in with neighbors, especially elderly residents.
It also is important for residents in “impassable” or posted areas to have an emergency plan.
Waterbury Fire Chief Gary Dillon said the department deals with calls on muddy roads every spring. Sometimes there is a way around mud to get to a call, other times a road crew may have to assist, he said.
“Every year, emergency vehicles get stuck in the mud someplace. In Waterbury, the fire department has been very fortunate and has not had a problem that would prevent us from getting someplace,” he explained. “It could happen. People should always have a home emergency plan on getting to a safe place.”
Dillon emphasized Shepeluk’s message for local residents to limit their travel on dirt roads as much as possible.
“I realize that people that live there have no choice, but people should not just go out for a ride to see how bad they are,” he added.
Lisa Scagliotti, of Waterbury Roundabout, joined Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, Eagle Times, and Rutland Herald staff writers Eric Blaisdell,Sophia Buckley-Clement, Steven Pappas, and Jordan J. Phelan in contributing to this report.
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