After 31‑inch storm, Brockton officials say equipment shortfalls, stalled vehicles and late travel‑ban compliance slowed cleanup

DPW Commissioner Patrick Hill told the finance committee that Brockton received a historic storm (31 inches) in which intense snowfall rates and high winds produced a volume of snow that far exceeded typical operational capacity. He said crews achieved passable arterial roads within roughly 36 hours, helped by state‑provided combination plows, but that the event exposed a gap between present equipment and the heavier machinery — loaders, large blowers and combination dump/plow vehicles — that make large‑volume clearance efficient.

Commissioner Hill compared the city's current fleet and contracted route coverage with 2019 levels and reported a marked decline in heavy equipment and contractor participation since then. He cited a large operational drag caused by stalled and abandoned vehicles that blocked plow routes and by motorists failing to comply promptly with travel‑ban warnings. "When you cannot travel at any rate of speed and you're trying to plow and scrape roads, it's ineffective when you're going one to two miles an hour," Hill said. Councilors and the mayor praised crews and private contractors for extended shifts — some staff worked more than 130 hours — and asked for concrete next steps.

Officials recommended a mix of strategies: targeted capital investments (sidewalk‑capable machines, large blowers and heavy loader/blower combinations), early contractor engagement agreements to guarantee larger fleets, stricter enforcement of parking and travel bans and better pre‑storm public messaging. Commissioner Hill provided a preliminary capital estimate range of roughly $1.8M–$2.5M for prioritized items and urged the council and administration to finalize a procurement and contractor‑engagement plan before next winter.