Gov. Mikie Sherrill stands at the podium in the NJ Transit Emergency Operations Center. Behind her, from left, are Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Joseph Bertoni, State Police Acting Superintendent Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz and NJ Transit President and Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill was at the NJ Transit facility on Springfield Avenue on Monday, Jan. 26, to provide an update on the Sunday storm that dropped about 10 inches of snow on Essex County.
Sherrill appeared with State Police Acting Superintendent Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz, Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Joseph Bertoni, and NJ Transit President and Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri.
Sherrill had declared a state of emergency across all 21 counties in the state starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday and ending at the press conference in Maplewood on Monday at noon.
“I want to thank all the workers across our state who responded to this weather event with urgency and seamless coordination, keeping New Jerseyans safe and warm during the worst storm we’ve seen in a decade,” Sherrill said. “I also want to thank all New Jerseyans who made the smart decision to stay off the roads this weekend.”
NJ Transit bus, light rail and Access Link services were suspended systemwide at the start of the service day at 4 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25. Rail service was temporarily suspended at 2 p.m. on Sunday and restored on Monday.
During a service suspension, customers may see trains and light rail vehicles operating. However, those cars are operating without passengers to keep overhead wires and tracks free of snow and ice.
NJ Transits’ Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is located at the Springfield Avenue site, was open and manned for the storm.
Sierotowicz said state police had responded to 206 motor vehicle accidents during the storm and another 1,130 motorist aid calls, which included things like flat tires and disabled cars.
“The storm may be over but the hazards are not,” Sierotowicz said. “Remove snow and ice from vehicles. Snow and ice coming off vehicles can cause accidents and damage to vehicles.”
Kolluri said NJ Transit employees were in the process of getting all services up and running and he made a special plea to the state’s municipalities to clear bus stops of snow and ice.
“It is imperative that our municipalities, who own the bus shelters, clean them,” Kolluri said.
Bertoni said the roads were in good shape but encouraged people to be careful.
“If you have to be on the road, proceed with extreme caution,” Kolluri said.
Sherrill said the state has plenty of salt on hand and is getting more. She also noted that while the snow storm had passed, bitterly cold temperatures were in the forecast for the rest of the week so residents should continue to use caution and be vigilant about ice.
“Just because you see blacktop doesn’t mean you don’t need to use caution,” Sherrill said. “Check on your neighbors, check on your friends, it’s going to be cold this week.”
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