CLEARING BOSTON’S STREETS
In the wake of snowstorm Nemo, the Boston Public Works Department’s Snow Removal Strike Force has strived to quickly and efficiently rid the city’s roadways of snow.
Their efforts are furthered in part by the addition of two Snow Melter machines, on loan from the Massachusetts Port Authority.
CLEARING BOSTON’S STREETS
In the wake of snowstorm Nemo, the Boston Public Works Department’s Snow Removal Strike Force has strived to quickly and efficiently rid the city’s roadways of snow.
Their efforts are furthered in part by the addition of two Snow Melter machines, on loan from the Massachusetts Port Authority.
Matthew Mayrl, chief of staff at the public works department, said front-end loaders pick up sizable amounts of snow and distribute them into the Snow Melter.
Powered by a jet engine, the Snow Melter turns the snow to water almost instantaneously, said Mayrl.
The Snow Melter is connected to a manhole. Water is funneled into the manhole and proceeds to a treatment facility, said Mayrl.
This winter is the second time the public works department has used the Snow Melters.
During the 2010-11 season, the machines were effective in removing large snowbanks, said Mayrl.
“(The Snow Melters) speed up our operations,” Mayrl said.
In addition to using the Snow Melter trucks, the city has been transporting removed snow to lots in Hyde Park, Roxbury, and South Boston.
At one of the “snow farms” along Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, dump trucks offloaded collected snow into massive piles throughout the day Tuesday.
Once the snow is dropped off, it is scooped and dumped into piles by a front loader at the lot, which is adjacent to the Urban Edge gym, the Franklin Park Tennis Association, a parking lot, and other city properties.
The 26,313-square-foot lot was piled high with snow Tuesday.
Tractors pushed the snow back into the lot, making the already huge piles of dirty snow even larger.
With the warmer temperatures, some of the snow melted while it waited in trucks to be dumped.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino reported on Tuesday that the Snow Removal Strike Force cleared 1,350 loads of snow during the previous night.
The city lifted the parking ban effective at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Our snow removal teams did great work throughout the night last night,” said Menino, in a news release. “Our crews will be out there all day and again tonight as we continue to widen roads, make our schools safe for students, and respond to residents’ concerns about residential areas.”
