The Connecticut Department of Transportation is sending help to Rhode Island and Massachusetts for those states’ responses to the winter storm that impacted the region over the last several days, according to the office of Gov. Ned Lamont.
Lamont said he approved the mutual aid requests “to deploy snow removal personnel and equipment.” Rhode Island and Massachusetts were both hit extremely hard by the storm.
Connecticut will provide 80 pieces of equipment, including trucks and snowblowers, and 125 trained drivers and mechanics from all four CTDOT maintenance districts, according to Lamont.
The people and equipment will be dispatched from Connecticut beginning at 3 a.m. Thursday, according to Lamont. He said in a statement that they are expected to work 24-hour shifts through at least Sunday.
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Further, according to Lamont, “the exact time CTDOT personnel will return to Connecticut is to be determined and will be dependent on the possibility of inclement weather early next week.”
“Connecticut is prepared to support our neighbors in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and deliver aid to help in the clean-up from this blizzard,” Lamont said in a statement. “Our CTDOT crews worked around the clock in the storm’s aftermath to get Connecticut’s roads clear and safe for all travelers, and I appreciate that they have accepted this mission to provide support to our neighbors. Their tireless dedication and commitment makes us proud.”
Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said, “By sending our crews and equipment, we are providing critical support to the region.
“This deployment shows the value of regional cooperation in keeping roads safe and the economy moving during extreme winter weather,” he said.
Lamont said the assistance “is being deployed under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the nation’s all-hazards national mutual aid system. Connecticut has a history of deploying resources through EMAC to help states in need, such as assisting North Carolina in response to Hurricane Helene in 2024, and Maryland and Washington, D.C. in response to a major winter storm in 2016.”
The DOT will “coordinate closely with the transportation departments of Rhode Island and Massachusetts to provide effective support and return to Connecticut once conditions allow.”