New England

Winter Wallop Brings Vermont Both Headaches and Celebrations

Wednesday’s snowfall made for tricky travel, but a boost for ski resorts

Widespread snowfall for Vermont brought headaches for drivers, hard work for road crews, and celebrations from businesses that depend on snow.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation said roughly 250 state plows were out Wednesday, attacking this latest blast of winter weather. The state was expecting to see between six inches and a foot of snow, depending on location and elevation.

“When you see us going slow, I’m just going to ask, please have a little patience with us,” said Randy Mayo, a VTrans plow operator. “Because we’re just doing that to clear your roads, get you home to your families, and make sure no one gets hurt in the process.”

While certainly not crippling by Vermont standards, the storm did make for trickier travel, with poor visibility.

The driver of a pickup appeared to have spun out and into the median of Interstate 89 in South Burlington.

At Johnson State College, classes, activities, and events were called off for the day starting at midday Wednesday, for safety. In a school announcement, JSC said it would be returning to a regular schedule on Thursday.

“Our campus has a lot of commuters,” observed JSC sophomore Marisa Eldred. “A big population has to drive to come to Johnson, so I’m glad they canceled.”

Smuggler’s Notch Resort in Jeffersonville cheered the natural boost to conditions, which will help put those challenging January thaws in the rear view mirror.

“It’s great news for us,” said resort spokesman Mike Chait. “This system right now and the snow we’re expecting this weekend is setting us properly for the upcoming Presidents’ week vacation.”

Among the skiers and riders enjoying the fresh powder at Smuggs Wednesday was Timothy Arrigo, who is visiting Vermont from sunny and warm Orange County, California.

“We come out here for this,” Arrigo told necn, saying he actually prefers the snow to the 75 degree warmth back home. “This is amazing conditions.”

VTrans officials said in deploying the state plows, the greatest concentration of them would be out during the evening commute Wednesday, when conditions were expected to be the worst.

Contact Us