Snow Control Priority Plan
Please use caution when driving near a snowplow. These trucks are very heavy and do not respond like an automobile. The large size of the equipment and the poor visibility associated with this type of activity make this a very hazardous situation.
Priority Streets
These streets include all major highways and arterial streets. De-icer will be applied to travel lanes. These streets are considered to be the network which must be kept open to provide a transportation system connecting critical facilities such as fire stations, police stations, schools, and critical town facilities.
Secondary Streets
These streets include minor arterial and collector streets. These streets will be serviced after Priority Streets are complete. Deicer will be applied only on hills, curves, signalized intersections and other hazardous locations. Streets around the schools are included in this category.
Local or Residential Streets
These streets are primarily located in residential areas. Plowing will be done on these streets where drifting or snow depth accumulations completely block traffic movement. This service will typically be performed after service on primary and secondary routes are completed. Local service consists of providing minimum service necessary to allow traffic to move safely at a restricted rate. Deicer may be applied at hazardous locations, hills, or curves on a case-by-case basis. Local routes that are passable are not routinely plowed, due to limited resources and narrow streets. Conditions are considered impassable when the streets cannot be traversed by a reasonably prepared vehicle equipped for winter weather environments.
Alleys
Alleys will be serviced for trash truck access only. A front-end-loader or small plow will make one pass through an impassable alley to allow access for trash pickup. Any snow accumulations outside the path will be the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. Except for emergency situations, impassable alleys will be cleared last.
Important Info
- Do not shovel or plow snow into the street. This adds to ice pack and drifting!
- Do shovel snow from drives and sidewalks into your yard! This will benefit your yard and help keep the streets safer!
Why not plow the snow to the center of the street?
Plowing snow to the center of the street could be very hazardous to the traveling public. Traffic flow would be restricted by eliminating a portion of a lane and this practice can also create sight obstruction for low vehicles. Streets need to be cleared for emergency vehicle access and narrow residential streets already limit their access.
Placing snow in the center of the street would create several safety and liability issues:
- Streets are slightly crowned in the middle to facilitate drainage to the gutters where storm drains carry the snowmelt and rainwater away from the street surface. Mother Nature's freeze and thaw cycles would cause ice to continually build on the travel lanes, resulting in even worse traction. Our streets, drainage system, and snow plow equipment are all designed to work best when snow is moved to the side.
- It would be difficult to make left turns across the center berm.
- Snow in the center of the street would also create asphalt deterioration due to the constant freezing and thawing.
- Also, hauling the snow off the street would be an enormous cost to the City.
