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Snow Plowing and Removal
The Township of Middletown has over 340 miles of roads that are plowed by the Department of Public Works with assistance of local contractors. Before each storm, the Township begins preparing and planning for snow removal by following a protocol that prioritizes the safety of residents by clearing pathways for emergency vehicles first and general road accessibility second. All Township and contractor plows are fitted with a GPS tracking and mapping system to monitor not only where the plows are located but also to determine the history and frequency of the plowing of every street in town. Below are the most frequently asked questions regarding plowing and snow removal before, during and after a storm.
For a full list of Snow Prep & Snow Removal Frequently Asked Questions, click HERE. Version OptionsSnow Plowing and RemovalHeadline.
Snow and Ice Removal Ordinance (Chapter 428, Article III).
Owners, occupants and/or tenants of premises bordering upon any street in the Township shall remove all snow and ice from abutting sidewalks of such streets within 24 hours from the end of the snowfall.
Further, Township business owners or other properties generally open to the public with accessible parking spaces have 24 hours from the end of the snowfall to remove snow and ice from the parking spaces, curb cuts and other areas related to the provision of such access.
Throwing, casting, placing or depositing snow or ice into or upon any street within the Township is prohibited.
Failure to comply with the ordinance can result penalties consisting of fines of up to $2,000, 90 days imprisonment and / or community service. Regulations will be strictly enforced in school zones, and where access is required for disabled individuals under these strengthened regulations. Enhanced enforcement only allows for issuance of a single warning before citations are imposed. Special liens or assessments may be placed on your property if the Township is required to ensure the public’s safety by clearing snow and ice to allow for pedestrian access if not timely addressed by the responsible parties.
Residents should note that private driveways and curbs that extend into the roadway that are damaged by snow plowing equipment are not the responsibility of the Township of Middletown and will not be repaired or replaced by the Township.
In addition, please be advised that mailboxes, lawn sprinklers, shrubs, walls, landscaping features, etc. located in the public right-of-way that are damaged as a result of plowing equipment clearing and throwing snow from the roadway are not the responsibility of Middletown Township and shall be repaired or replaced by the property owner.
When snow is anticipated, crews begin pretreating roads with salt brine and road salt. This pretreatment is important in minimizing snow accumulation and easing plowing efforts. In some cases, with relatively minor snowfalls, pretreatment can help to eliminate the need to plow.
Once snow begins to accumulate to about 3 inches, snow removal procedures are initiated. The Township is divided into four districts. Each district has a supervisor that oversees the work of Township crews and private contractors in their district. Snow plowing priorities are generally as follows:
- Fire and First Aid building access
- Police vehicle access
- Key commuter parking facilities
- Response to Fire, Police, EMS Emergencies, motor vehicle accidents and all reported medical emergencies
Clearing of Secondary Arterial and Collector Roads
Supervisors then move their crews in a logical fashion within each district. In some cases, smaller streets may be passed by equipment operators in order to prioritize larger streets. They will eventually get to all streets. In all cases, equipment operators must sometimes leave an area suddenly in order to respond to an emergency.
Expressways
The Garden State Parkway and it’s on and off-ramps are the only expressways in the Township.
Responsibility for snow plowing the Parkway and it’s associated ramps, fall under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Primary Arterial Roads
Primary Arterial Roads serve to take traffic from the expressway along to other destinations. These streets often have 3 or 4 lanes per flow of traffic and intersections may have special treatments such as jug handles. These roads are subject to high volumes of traffic.
State Highway Routes 35 and 36 are examples of these streets in Middletown. A section of Monmouth County Route 520 near Red Bank is also a Primary Arterial Road.
The importance of these roads to Middletown residents is paramount. Traffic problems along these corridors create traffic problems for much of Middletown.
Snow plowing jurisdiction for State Highway Routes 35 and 36 belongs to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. County Route 520 is the jurisdiction of Monmouth County.
Secondary Arterial Roads
There are 35 Secondary Arterial Roads within the Township of Middletown. These roads will often have one lane for each flow of traffic. These roads include the following:
- Bamm Hollow Road
- Broadway in Belford
- Chapel Hill Road
- Cherry Tree Farm Road (County jurisdiction)
- Church Street [Belford]
- Cooper Road [McClees Road to Browns Dock Road]
- Dwight Road (County jurisdiction)
- East Road
- Everett Road (County jurisdiction)
- Grand Avenue
- Half Mile Road
- Harmony Road
- Hubbard Avenue (County jurisdiction)
- Kings Highway (partial County jurisdiction)
- Kings Highway East
- Leonardville Road (County jurisdiction)
- Locust Point Road (partial County jurisdiction)
- Main Street in Belford (partial County jurisdiction)
- Main Street [North Middletown]
- McClees Road
- Middletown-Lincroft Road (County jurisdiction)
- Navesink River Road (County jurisdiction)
- New Monmouth Road (County jurisdiction)
- Newmans Spring Road [west of the Garden State Parkway] (County jurisdiction)
- Nut Swamp Road (County jurisdiction)
- Oak Hill Road
- Palmer Avenue (County jurisdiction)
- Phalanx Road
- Port Monmouth Road (partial County jurisdiction)
- Red Hill Road
- Stillwell Road
- Swimming River Road (County jurisdiction)
- Thompson Avenue [Palmer Avenue to Route 36]
- Tindall Road
- West Front Street
Collector Streets
The Township contains 30 Collector Streets, which provide access between arterial roads and local roads, often with many intersections and access to abutting uses. These roads usually have a smaller right-of-way than larger arteries. These roads are less heavily trafficked than arterials, but are still critical for accessing local streets.
These include:
- Apple Farm Road [Route 35 to Rutledge Drive]
- Appleton Avenue [Route 36 to Center Avenue]
- Bowne Road
- Bray Avenue
- Broadway [Church Street to Main Street]
- Broadway [Leonardo]
- Campbell Avenue
- Center Avenue
- Church Street [Leonardville Road to Broadway]
- Cooper Road [Route 35 to McClees Road]
- First Avenue
- Hamilton Drive
- Hartshorne Road
- Holland Road
- Leedsville Drive
- Leonardville Road / Valley Drive [Route 36 to Monmouth Avenue] (County jurisdiction)
- Locust Avenue
- Main Street [Port Monmouth - Route 36 to Port Monmouth Road]
- Murphy Avenue
- North Leonard Avenue
- Ocean Avenue [Thompson Avenue to Port Monmouth Road] (County jurisdiction)
- Park Avenue
- Pelican Road
- Portland Road
- Rutledge Road
- Shultz Drive
- Sunnyside Road
- Swartzel Drive
- Thompson Avenue
- Wilson Avenue [Route 36 to Port Monmouth Road]
- Woodland Drive