Clearing Roads in Stamford May Take Longer This Winter

NEW YORK (WCBS 880)  -- Clearing the roads for the City of Stamford this winter may take a little longer than usual.

A manpower shortage in the Stamford Highway Department means there will be fewer heavy equipment operators on hand this winter to clear the roads.

Ben Barns, Director of the Office of Operations, tells WCBS Reporter Fran Schneidau "preliminary plowing shouldn't be a problem, what takes time are secondary passes on residential streets".

"Doing a second pass in residential neighborhoods, we may end up taking up several days to get to that," said Barns.

There are seven vacancies in his highway department. Positions that can't be filled just now because of budgetary restraints.

According to the Stamford Advocate, Employees from departments elsewhere in the Office of Operations, such as recycling, garbage and facilities, will bolster the highway department during snowstorms, said Ernie Orgera, traffic and road maintenance supervisor.

"A lot of it depends on how big the events are," Orgera said. "If you end up having back-to-back storms, you end up going deeper into your bench."