The Public Properties Maintenance Division (PPM) provides snow and ice control for the city's 315-lane miles of highways and streets including over 100 cul-de-sacs. Snow and ice control is considered emergency work, which must be accomplished for public safety and the well-being of our community. Our goal is to make all highways, streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs safe and accessible for vehicles properly equipped for winter driving conditions during and after a storm. Salt Spreading & Plowing Procedures
To ensure safe travel, PPM applies approximately 4000 tons of de-icer (salt) to the roadways each year. Snow plowing is not productive until snowfall reaches a depth of two inches. For any storm, crews will begin by spreading de-icers in an attempt to get a layer of brine against the pavement. If accumulations exceed two inches, crews will then begin plowing until such time as snowfall stops. As the last step in the cleanup from a storm, the area of the street adjacent to the gutter will be plowed back. This is done to allow melting materials to run off and ultimately reach the gutter. This will reduce the amount of icy patches that occur during evening refreezing.
The city’s removal operations goal is to clear the most highly traveled roadways and major streets to facilitate traffic moving in and out of the city. Emergency travel for fire, emergency medical, and police personnel is the biggest snow removal priority. This is why primary streets are cleared first. The next priority is to clear secondary streets, including subdivisions and cul-de-sac streets. Alleys are cleared last because they carry the least amount of traffic. Because each snow/ice storm is different, there is careful planning to decide how to handle snow removal operations for each event. The number of trucks assigned and the plan implemented during any given storm is dependent on the severity of the storm.
