Mud season hits with a wallop
March 18, 2022 | By Lisa ScagliottiIt was barely a week ago when winter landed nearly a foot of snow across the Green Mountains, only to be followed by mild temperatures that have ushered in what many are calling the worst mud season in recent memory.
Mud starts to appear on Gregg Hill Road in this shot captured March 6 by Tim Griffin of Waterbury Center.
“This is probably the worst mud season in 20 years,” said Waterbury’s Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk.
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. River Road in Duxbury was closed between Camels Hump Road and the Bolton line.
“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.”
On Thursday and Friday, school buses were not traveling on either Perry Hill or Gregg Hill. 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 had gotten stuck this week. A reporter’s call to the First Student bus barn on Friday was directed to a regional call center in Massachusetts.
It was just last weekend when the latest storm created picture-perfect sledding conditions at Country Club of Vermont. In Jen Lane's yard on Union Street, a snowman's best friend was of course, a snow dog. And winter driving conditions returned to Route 100. Photos by Gordon Miller
In addition to the two roads in Waterbury, the school district was navigating similar situations on Crossett Hill in Duxbury, Moretown Common, Howes and South Hill Roads in Moretown, and Brook Road in Waitsfield, according to notices sent out via email to families and staff.
The latest school bus information regarding those roads was emailed at noon on Friday saying the changes were expected to be in effect through Monday afternoon, March 21.
The Waterbury Area Senior Center this week was 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 center’s board of directors.
The center’s meal program serves several dozen seniors in Waterbury and nearby communities providing daily meal deliveries. Muddy roads may mean dropping off extra frozen meals to clients on roads that are in rough shape.
Thursday on Blush Hill Road, puddles filled with snow and frost melt and ruts grew deeper as each vehicle drove along the dirt portion of the road. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
“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.
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.
As of Friday morning, highway workers were on Perry Hill 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.
Perry Hill was accessible from the Lincoln Street end with the closed section just past High Birches and Town Road intersections, Shepeluk said. On the other end near Kneeland Flats, road crews worked overnight Thursday to ensure a one-lane section was passable allowing access for those who live on that stretch. Still, the section from Kneeland Flats Road to the intersection with Hough Road was “very difficult,” he said.
On the other side of Waterbury Center, another vehicle stuck on Gregg Hill Road led crews to close off part of that road as well, Shepeluk said. From the south access near Michael’s On the Hill Restaurant on Route 100, Gregg Hill was passable for about a mile. The middle section from the area near the trail to Elephant Rock to the flats near the beaver pond wetland area was closed to through traffic, he said.
So far most mail deliveries were happening across Waterbury Center with just a handful of addresses unreachable on Gregg Hill on Friday. Post office staffer Joe Mongeur said carriers are accustomed to mud season challenges. “So far, it’s not been catastrophic.”
The highway department was 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.
In Duxbury where nearly all of the town’s roads are dirt and gravel, crews were doing the best they could to keep roads open with an eye on the weather to catch a break next week. “All of our dirt roads are in rough shape. They will be worked on soon as Mother Nature allows,” said selectboard member Mari Pratt.
Town officials advise local residents to limit travel on dirt roads until conditions improve. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
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 those 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.
Blackman said Meals on Wheels would continue to make its weekday deliveries even if that means drivers need to get creative. “Our volunteer drivers are amazing and will always try to make a delivery. It is not unheard of for a driver to park and walk the last few hundred yards to make a successful delivery,” he said.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.