Lehigh Valley, northwest New Jersey towns prepare for severe cold after snow

With temperatures projected to drop below zero, rock salt will be of little use to battle icy conditions, officials said.

Officials in Bethlehem, Easton and Phillipsburg said road crews are working feverishly to remove snow dumped by Thursday night's storm before temperatures plunge tonight.

Parts of the Valley saw as much as 7 inches of snow bury roads, cars and homes, and the National Weather Service is projecting temperatures to drop to 6 below zero in the Lehigh Valley tonight. The cold front is complicating cleanup efforts as workers race to dig out the communities before the snow freezes into blocks of ice, they said.

In Easton, City Administrator Glenn Steckman said the mounds of snow along narrow city streets have made cleanup difficult, particularly in residential areas with street parking. The city had one crew working throughout the storm to keep roads safe and a second crew has now relieved them to continue plowing, he said.

The goal is to get as much work done now before temperatures nosedive, he said. While the city has rock salt stockpiled, it's of little use when the temperatures get this low, he said.

"The best thing we are going to be able to do is put down sand," Steckman said.

In the meantime, Steckman asked residents to work with their neighbors and work together to dig themselves out. A side effect of the around-the-clock plowing is that residents are finding themselves blocked into driveways and parking spots they have already cleared, he said.

"Unfortunately, that is the issue of snow removal in an urban environment," he said.

In Phillipsburg, Mayor Harry Wyant Jr. advised residents to stay off the roads tonight if possible. The fine, powdery snow left a thin coating on the roads despite the plowing, and the harsh temperature should make for dangerous conditions, he said.

"If you have to go out, drive very, very carefully. What melted today will be ice tonight," Wyant said.

Wyant said he was pleased by the efforts of the town's public works, but said there was only so much that could be done with their resources. Unlike other large towns and cities in the region, Phillipsburg uses public works employees to collect garbage and plow roads, he said. That added responsibility limited the town's manpower, he said.

"We do a very good job, I think, with the men and the resources we have," he said.

Bethlehem Public Works Director Mike Alkhal painted a rosier picture in the Christmas City, saying the major roads are clear as are most secondary arteries. Road crews have also gotten through most of the residential neighborhoods and alleys as of 4 p.m., he said.

The city is hoping to avoid serious icing problems by dropping rock salt coated with calcium, he said. The cocktail will allow the salt to work in lower temperatures, though he acknowledged it would not work in the sub-zero temperatures expected.