Public works departments face COVID-19 staffing shortages as winter snowstorm approaches

Milford and Stamford's departments of public works are facing staffing shortages due to COVID-19 ahead of Connecticut's first major winter snowstorm Friday.
Milford Public Works crews loaded up their trucks with brine Thursday to pretreat the roads. Once the snow starts falling, they’ll hit the roads again to plow and salt.
"They stay out on the routes the whole time. So, they're repeatedly plowing areas. We do our mains first and then our secondaries, and then our dead-end streets are the last that we do, " Milford Public Works Director Chris Saley says.
Saley says he’s down about six workers due to COVID-19, but is working around it.
Stamford Public Works crews are also dealing with shortages.
"We're using all of our operations personnel who have the proper CDL licenses to make sure all of our snow routes are addressed," Stamford Public Safety, Health & Welfare Director Ted Jankowski says.
DPW directors are asking residents to be patient.
Connecticut officials say the state Department of Transportation is also facing staffing issues because of COVID-19.