Agenda Packets - 2011/11/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW | PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 4472 - SNOW PLOWING AND ICE CONTROL POLICY 2 2. Snow plowing and ice control operations are expensive and involve the use of limited personnel and equipment. In addition, snow and ice characteristics, as well as pavement and weather conditions, vary extensively and can be unpredictable for each winter storm. Therefore, the Public Works Supervisor will exercise his or her professional judgment when evaluating the decision to begin snow plowing and ice control operations. B. Snow and Ice Control Methods 1. The City will choose from a variety of available snow and ice control methods best geared to tackle the varying conditions of snow, ice, weather, and pavement conditions for each winter storm event. Some of these methods may use sand, salt, and other chemicals when there are hazardous ice or slippery conditions. The City is concerned about the effect of such chemicals on the environment and will limit its use for that reason. 2. The following methods, or combination thereof, may be used in the City’s snow plowing and ice control operations: (a) Snow Plowing is the pushing of accumulated snow with a snowplow blade and redirecting it into the boulevard areas (typically). This is the traditional and most common form of snow removal from pavements. (b) Snow Blowing is similar to snow plowing but employs a motorized rotary blowing device to propel the snow into the air and away from the area being cleared. (c) Applying Salt is the spreading of rock salt onto the pavement surface to melt snow and ice accumulations where hazardous ice or slippery conditions exist. The effectiveness of salt to melt snow and ice is typically limited to pavement temperatures above 0° F. (d) Applying Sand is used in locations where a layer of ice covers the pavement surface and air temperatures are too cold for salt to effectively melt the ice. Sand applications may be used at traffic intersections with hazardous ice or slippery conditions to improve vehicular friction for stopping and traction for acceleration. (e) Pre-wetting is when brine or other chemical solutions are added to the salt (and/or sand) mixture prior to dispersal to the pavement surface, causing the mixture to stick to the pavement instead of blowing off the pavement. (f) De-icing is a generic term for the removal of existing snow and ice from a pavement surface by either mechanical means (plowing or scraping) or chemical methods (applying salt or other ice melting chemicals). De-icing activities are intended to break the bond between a layer of ice or snow and the pavement surface. (g) Anti-icing is the pretreatment of pavements with ice melting chemicals (usually liquid brine or wetted salt) before a winter storm to prevent or delay the formation of ice and frost, or the adhesion of ice and snow, to the pavement surface. Anti-icing can significantly reduce the amount of salt needed during de-icing operations and allows easier removal by snow plows. (h) Winging Back is the pushing of snow banks further into the boulevard and away from the driving surface. Winging back is typically performed between winter storms to create additional snow storage volume for future snow storms or to increase traffic sight lines at intersections. (i) Hauling or Snow Removal is the removal of snow piles and windrows, created by prior snow plowing operations, by loading into trucks and hauling to a snow storage area. Hauling is commonly performed after other snow removal operations are complete. C. Performing Snow Plowing and Ice Control Operations 1. Street Operations (a) Snow will be plowed in a manner to minimize traffic obstructions. (b) In general, the center of the street will be plowed first. The snow will be pushed from left to right on two-way streets. The discharge shall go onto the boulevard area of the street right-of-way.