DPW UPDATE - MUD SEASON HAS ARRIVED

New Englanders know that March and April can make our dirt roads unfriendly if not downright treacherous.

The dirt roads thaw and soften during the day when the early spring sun beats down on them and will frequently re-freeze overnight. If the thaw/freeze cycle weren’t enough, melting snow contributes to the mess. Spring rains add to the misery.

You may find yourself leaving for work in the morning on solid ground, but coming home, you can find you’re suddenly axle deep in mud. This time of year, it is best to travel dirt roads in the early morning before the thaw occurs and traffic has created more ruts to navigate through. There were two days of 70 degree temperatures in early March that accelerated the speed at which the frost left the roads and is why the mud situation is currently so severe. 

Adapting to life in rural New England is not easy. It takes guts and gumption, nerves of steel and the knowledge that “this too, shall pass.” Your DPW knows the mud rule and mud ropes and has the annual problem well in hand.  The crew is hauling in loads of stone and adding it to the dirt roads to help stiffen up the mud and provide a base on which vehicles can travel. They also grade and york rake the roads to help aerate and dry out the mud. However, in some cases their machines are doing more harm than help.

Please avoid traveling on dirt roads during mud season, if possible.  Pay extra attention to the Road Closed signs in town; these roads are open to residents who live on them but are closed to through traffic. Your DPW assesses conditions daily and is working hard to get these roads open again. 

Mud is a hazard yet it’s still a prophetic sign of good weather coming.