|
Snow Removal There's no getting around it. Winter and snow go hand-in-hand and the City of Lawrence helps people get through it, literally, with our snow removal services.
Snow Facts
The City of Lawrence averages 23.3 inches of snow per year which results in 7 to 9 snowfalls per year that require removal.
While the City of Lawrence maintains approximately 165 miles of road, our snowplow operators typically need to cover this area three to four times (660 miles) to completely clear the streets. That's like driving all the way from the City of Lawrence to Toronto Canada!
Who is responsible for snow removal?
Snow removal is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Public Works but the Parks Department and Water Utility all work together to get the job done. In addition:
- The Lawrence Police Department monitors street conditions and enforces snow-related ordinances.
- Street Department personnel keep plows ready to operate and conduct quick repairs as necessary during a storm.
What Can You Do?
- Adopt a Fire Hydrant! Do a good deed for your community and clear snow away from fire hydrants. This provides quick access for firefighters and water maintenance workers in case of an emergency.
- Comply with snow-related ordinances (see § 5-2-1-37).
- Report slippery intersections or other unsafe areas to the Lawrence Police Department at (317) 545-7575.
The Strategy
The strategy used to plow streets, sidewalks and other City facilities depends on the interaction of several factors:
- Time the Snow Began
- Duration of Snowfall
- Type of snow - Light/Dry or Wet/Heavy
- Temperature Before and After Snowfall
- High Winds - Drifting
- Snow Accumulation
- Available Equipment and Breakdowns
- Available Staff
Despite what may seem like a complex process, the goal of the City's plowing efforts is simple: to maintain safe travel throughout the City of Lawrence. We prioritize our efforts as follows:
- Plow Main Thoroughfares
- Plow Secondary Streets
- Plow Neighborhood Streets
- Plow Neighborhood Courts
- Revisit Areas Needing Additional Cleanup
A "Typical" Snow Removal Story
Every snowfall is unique, but here is an example of the typical process:
The National Weather Service forecasts the possibility of one to five inches of snow the following day. The Street Department checks and begins to prepare snow removal equipment and materials.
The next day at 12 p.m., before the snow even begins, the Street Department is already at work pre-treating select roadways, intersections and bridges to help ensure safe travel. As snowfall begins at 1 p.m. the Street Department monitors and treats streets as needed. By 3 p.m., the snow is falling heavily and one and one-half inches has accumulated. Both the Parks Department and Water Utility join the city's snow removal efforts as the storm grows. Primary thoroughfares are the priority during this time in order to ensure that public safety vehicles are able to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. At 4:30 p.m., the regular workday ends but city personnel remain on the job to plow, salt and sand our main thoroughfares.
By 6 p.m. the major thoroughfares are cleared and some plows are able to begin to plow secondary streets. But as these secondary streets begin to be cleared, snow continues to fall and crews must break off their efforts to clear secondary streets in order to return to the main thoroughfares a second and even third time to keep them clear.
As the snow begins to subside around 8 p.m., a total of 4 inches of snow has fallen. As crews catch up on the main thoroughfares again, they begin to return to the secondary streets. When the snow finally stops around 10 p.m., the secondary streets begin to be completed. Working together as a team, the Street Department, Parks Department, and Water Utility personnel now begin to move to the neighborhood streets a little before midnight. Neighborhood courts and cleanup take another three hours but are finally completed around 3 a.m. which is more than 15 hours after snow removal activities first began.
The following day, Street Department crews salt and/or sand locations that have become slippery due to traffic while other city personnel return to their usual duties.
Wait! What If the Snowfall is NOT Typical!
While a typical snowfall of four inches may take 15 hours to remove, the time involved grows almost exponentially as the snowfall increases. A snowfall of eight to ten inches might take several days to be removed from our roadways so please be patient.
Speaking of Patience
The men and women in Street Department, Parks Department and Water Utility work in extended shifts to provide 24 hour/day coverage for our snow removal operations. Please be patient as they work tirelessly so that you and your family can travel safely in the City of Lawrence.
Driveway Snow
We would like to remind property owners and private snow removal contractors to refrain from plowing, shoveling or blowing snow, ice or slush onto or across streets as it can be a hazard to traffic. In addition, snow must not be piled in such a way as to obstruct motorists’ vision.
Snowplows remove the snow from the center of the roadway towards the side of the road. Our snowplows generally make at least two passes through each street. The first pass is typically during the storm or soon after the storm has passed. The second and/or subsequent passes are designed to move the snow from the roadway to as close to the curb as possible. This helps improve travel, provide for parking and allow roadway runoff from snow melting and rain to reach the catch basins and prevent street flooding.
The second and subsequent passes are typically completed several hours after the first pass of snowplows. This means that your drive approach will have at least two occasions where snowplows will leave snow from the roadway in your drive approach. Immediately after the city snowplows deposit the snow in your drive approach is the best and easiest time to remove it.
Do not plow, shovel, or blow the snow back into the street.
As you clear your driveway and approach, pile the snow on the grassed area of your yard. This will keep snow from obstructing the roadway and also minimize the amount of snow pushed back into your driveway by snowplows during subsequent passes.
Residents should also make certain that their trash and recycling containers are placed off the edge of the road yet close enough to be picked up from the street without having to walk or climb through snow banks.
If you should have any questions, please contact the Department of Public Works at (317) 545-5566.
|