Snow Removal and Ice Control Practices

Each year, the City seems to receive an equal share of compliments and criticisms for its snow removal efforts.  While not meeting everyone's expectations, the Public Works Department has developed a snow removal plan for maintaining safe winter driving conditions on the nearly 44 miles of City streets.  The key elements of that plan are as follows:

• Eight (8) snow removal routes at approximately six square miles each have been designated
• Streets will be plowed in order of priority as follows:
        1.  Major arterial routes (includes bus routes)
        2.  Major collector streets
        3.  Local residential streets
        4.  Cul-de-sacs, alleys, dead-ends, and parking lots
• Arterial streets will be maintained during every snow event; other streets will be plowed only after a 2 inch accumulation has occurred or is forecasted. 

For both economic and environmental reasons, the City does not maintain a "bare pavement" policy for all streets.  It is therefore, reasonable to expect some accumulated snow to remain on some streets.

Click here to access the Snow Policy adopted by the Common Council on June 7, 2010.