Snow Removal on the Streets
City employees are prepared to respond to all winter weather conditions. When snow is forecasted, the Street Maintenance and Park Maintenance Divisions closely monitor weather conditions and will formulate a plan of action based on information provided by multiple agencies.
Plowing generally begins when snow becomes two inches deep and the temperature indicates there will be no melting. Plow blades are set slightly off the ground to clear obstacles such as manholes, utility lids, etc.
When it snows, street maintenance crews concentrate on keeping primary and major arterial streets passable. The main reason these streets are the priority is that these routes provide travel access to and from hospitals, medical clinics, and extended care facilities. Primary routes traveled by school buses may also be included. Once these streets have been treated, depending on the nature of the storm, crews will then focus on medium to heavily traveled sections of arterial and collector streets, and sections of residential streets that have unusually steep grades. Lighter-traveled streets, intersections, and residential areas may then be treated. A written winter storm response plan and priority map are used as a guideline to address how crews typically respond to winter storm events.
The speed in which winter storm response work can shift from areas of high priority to areas of lower priority depends upon several factors including but not limited to road priority, storm severity, storm duration, availability of equipment, availability of manpower, time of day (concerning traffic flow and traffic priorities), and police requests for assistance at specific locations.
We kindly ask that everyone please be patient during these times. Streets are plowed according to their priority and reviewed at the end of each season. Employees work around the clock until the more than 500 lane miles of city-maintained streets are passable. The Streets Division has approximately 11 full-time employees and 10 self-propelled pieces of equipment that are set up with various configurations to address different needs, including plows, sanders, and mag tanks. Each piece of equipment has at least one of these attachments some have two different attachments. These attachments include six plows, five aggregate distributors, and four mag distributors.
Plowing and How You Can Help
Clearing driveways and entrances are the responsibility of the property owner. All residential and business owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks on their property. We appeal to our residents to clear sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses.
If you have a driveway, please use it. The more vehicles off the street, the better job we can do and the less likely it is that your vehicles will be plowed in, splashed by salt spray, or damaged.
If you do not have a driveway, park as close to the curb as possible.
To help avoid the frustration of having a snowplow cover your driveway with snow after you have cleared it, stand facing the street and shovel snow to the left of your driveway onto your yard, and not onto the street. By clearing an area to the left of your driveway and near the curb, you create a collection pocket for the snow, pushed by the plow. This pocket will prevent the plow from pushing snow back into your driveway as it passes. Also, when shoveling your driveway, it’s best to pile the snow downstream of the plows' direction. This simple step can help prevent you from having to conduct a second shovel and help keep your driveway clear. Also, please keep fire hydrants and storm drains clear of snow buildup.
Snow Removal at City Facilities and Parks
While the City's Street Maintenance Division (a branch of the Public Works Department) focuses on clearing the streets, the City's Park Maintenance Division (a branch of the Parks and Recreation Department) is dedicated to clearing access to city facilities and pathways in city parks. They too use a prioritization method based on emergency and city operation needs.
Original source can be found here.
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