December adds another mud season to 2023
December 30, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti8:30 a.m. Dec. 31: Updated with a revised weather forecast at the bottom of this post.
Anyone driving Vermont’s gravel roads this weekend knows that road conditions in many places have deteriorated to match the weather conditions. And while the calendar says December – almost January, in fact – conditions are best described as: mud season.
A car makes its way up a muddy Blush Hill Road on Friday. Photo by Gordon Miller
One motorist on River Road early Saturday evening appeared to have had a particularly rough go of it. Vermont State Police reported no injuries but a 2023 Kia Soul was totaled in a single-vehicle roll-over crash on River Road.
The incident happened just before 5 p.m. near the Hart Road which is between the Winooski Street bridge and the Duxbury Community Garden. Taylor Erdman, 43, of Duxbury, was driving west on River Road when he lost control on the muddy road.
“The vehicle left the roadway and rolled onto its roof,” Trooper Jason Haley wrote in a news release. He explained in a message to Waterbury Roundabout that the car left its lane, crossed the road, and landed upside down in the ditch opposite the side where it was traveling. “Erdman escaped injury and was able to exit the vehicle on his own accord,” Haley noted in his report. The Kia had to be towed.
The accident happened on a day when gravel road conditions were deteriorating across Vermont with mild temperatures and some fresh precipitation that fluctuated from rain to sleet to brief snow showers in Waterbury.
A sign signals to motorists that Roxbury Gap conditions are rough. Photo from Roxbury GapStat on Facebook
Mud was prevalent at all elevations on Saturday. The situation was particularly precarious in Roxbury Gap. Late Saturday morning, Vermont State Police issued an alert that Roxbury Mountain Road between the towns of Warren and Roxbury was “in very poor condition” and would be assessed for closure. “Many motorists have been getting stuck in the mud and need to be towed out,” the bulletin noted. “Motorists should expect delays in the area, and are highly encouraged to seek alternate routes.”
Soon afterward, the road was closed to through traffic.
The slide into the latest mud season began midweek and by late Friday afternoon, Waterbury Municipal Manager Tom Leitz posted on the town’s Facebook page relaying information from the Town Highway Supervisor Celia Clark.
“Due to the thaw we again have mud season in December. Shaw Mansion and Perry Hill roads are the biggest problem areas,” Leitz wrote. “We will address the worst areas as best we can, and our public works department will be working this weekend when we get some colder weather. In the meantime, we ask that people avoid travel on our gravel roads if possible.”
On Saturday, officials in Duxbury weighed in with a similar and more detailed message. Selectboard Chair Richard Charland sent it out to the town’s email distribution list with the headline: “December Mud Season.”
“Terrible” was the overall assessment of the town’s roads in “unfortunately too many spots,” the message begins. It references the Waterbury alert and quotes weather observations from Mark Twain (“If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes”) and George Carlin (“The weather will continue to change on and off for a long, long time.”)
Central Vermont weather guru Roger Hill put it this way on Wednesday: “About as dreary as it gets in winter in the Green Mountain State and this just continues.” He was referring to the gray skies and “snow-eating fog” that persisted for the past several days.
Fog hangs low over Exit 10 in Waterbury. Photo by Gordon Miller
The nighttime temperature dips below freezing with daytime highs in the 30s or higher over the past few days have resembled a March weather pattern more than December conditions.
The meteorological trend on the heels of heavy rains early the previous week have combined for some frustrating developments on dirt and gravel roads. Duxbury’s Road Forman Brian Gibbs encountered a second sinkhole on River Road on Saturday, according to Saturday's selectboard update. The first emerged right after the December 18 flooding and was filled. The new one was filled Saturday as well.
“Frustrating for Brian and crew, they've had to watch a section of road they invested in this past summer be ripped open. We will be keeping an eye on that area as we try to determine what is causing these repeated failures,” Charland offered in the town email.
Another spot the Duxbury announcement flags is Camels Hump Road, described as “terrible in so many locations.” Just past the intersection with Scrabble Hill Road, a guardrail is sinking after a culvert separated allowing the road surface to wash away, Charland relayed. The spot is marked with cones for now and it will be a priority for repairs this coming week, he noted.
Getting equipment to the trouble spots is a challenge all on its own. “The practical difficulty the crew faces is their inability to haul material when the roads are the way they are today. These conditions are what mandate road postings and closures during the spring,” Charland explained.
Near the Waterbury Reservoir on Blush Hill Road. Photo by Gordon Miller
As in Waterbury, the Duxbury crew also will aim to work when temperatures fall. Meanwhile, local residents are asked to have patience as road conditions quickly shift with the temperature swings. “The time frame to accomplish this is too often very tight, and the work once completed reverts to the condition it was when the temperature rises again – and all seems for nought,” Charland wrote. “Every effort will be made to smooth things out as the weather/temperature allows the crew to do so in the next few days.”
Another reminder for drivers: minimize travel and slow down when driving on the muddy sections. “Speed is one of the main detrimental contributors to the gravel road surface,” Charland said.
Not all of Duxbury’s road woes are due to mud and rain, however. Charland also shared an update on the Highway Department’s equipment that reads like a secondary plot line in a TV drama episode.
“Last week we did get back the tandem truck which had rolled over on its side the day before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, our newest tandem (brand new) is at the dealer because of a defective radiator (leaking). The manufacturer states they have no replacement radiator available until maybe the middle of January,” he said. “All I can say is, it didn't used to be this way. Thank you to everyone for their understanding and patience, this could possibly be Mother Nature's way of saying, ‘Slow down, you're moving too fast.’”
Lingering ice along the edge of the Waterbury Reservoir near the Blush Hill boat launch on Friday. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Some reprieve may be on the way. Light snowfall overnight returned winter Sunday morning. According to the National Weather Service in Burlington, cooler temperatures are in store for Sunday/New Year’s Eve and Monday/New Year’s Day. Daytime highs both days are forecast in the high 20s and nighttime lows in the high teens. Sunshine and a high of 36 is expected on Tuesday with increasing chances of more snow showers by midweek.
At least for a few days though, it appears the Duxbury Selectboard’s New Year’s wish in their Saturday note may come true: “On behalf of the Selectboard, the staff and Road Crew, we wish everyone a Happy New Year and colder temperatures to solidify our roads until spring.”
To receive Duxbury’s town government email messages, sign up on the town website DuxburyVermont.org under the Email List tab.
Waterbury town government posts notices on its website home page Waterburyvt.com and on its Facebook page .