Epic mud season having statewide impact

A warning sign posted at the bottom of a very muddy Prosper Road in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

After a sudden spring thaw, Vermont is stuck in the middle of an epic mud season.

“I’m 80 years old and I’ve lived here 55 years, and I’ve never seen the roads this bad,” Ted Kenyon told the Valley News on Saturday. The South Royalton resident has been helping cars out of the deep mud with his tractor, the Valley News reported. In some cases, roads have been impassable, forcing some folks to stay home from work.

From East Barnard to Woodstock, to Rutland County and throughout the state, the muddy conditions continue to have a widespread impact, with multiple vehicles getting trapped in mud, and some tow vehicles not being able to get there due to the treacherous conditions.

Photos from recent days in East Barnard, Vt. (Mollie and Katrina McHugh Photos)

On Tuesday, Woodstock Town Manager William Kerbin said some roads are slightly better than they were over the weekend, but the mud still poses a big challenge in a lot of places. Prosper Road remains closed to thru-traffic, for example.

“The roads are hardening up a little bit, but it’s still a wait-and-see and keeping our fingers crossed,” Kerbin said. 

In these muddy times, Waterbury Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk shared this safety tip with the Rutland Herald on Friday: “If you don’t have to travel on a gravel road, don’t.”

Sound advice, since the weather pattern doesn’t seem to be changing much over the coming week, though freezing temperatures tonight and on Wednesday night might help somewhat. As things stand now, rain is in the forecast for Friday, with daytime temperatures hovering around 40 or higher (including 51 degrees on Friday).

Motorists are asked to obey all signs saying roads are closed. And if you have to walk up a muddy road to get home, or to help someone out, be careful — there’s been at least one instance of someone’s boots getting stuck in the mud as well.

Mud season is a great example of neighbor helping neighbor. Vermonters’ spirit is always inclined to help some one out with a tow rope, the farm tractor pulling the vehicle out, or even car-pooling to get where they need to be. Vermonters so often join forces to lend a helping hand. It brings us a little closer and shows once again that this spirit can’t be stopped, even by the trappings of mud.

— Gareth Henderson

Cox District Road in Woodstock, Vt., on Tuesday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)