Snow Removal Policy
As winter is now among us, the City receives much feedback on how we plow and/or salt our roads. The City has a Policy that it follows and revises as necessary as each snow event is different. The Policy aims at providing safety and service to the residents while staying within budget. A general overview of our Policy.
PRIORITIES:
- State Routes and thoroughfares (20 designated within the City)*
- Hazardously sloped residential streets
- Flat residential through streets
- Other residential streets
- Cul-de-sacs and dead ends
- Private lanes and private streets are not plowed by the City
COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS:
Whenever there is a danger of icy or snowy conditions on roads, the Service Departments will monitor conditions. After regular working hours, the Police Department will also monitor road conditions and contact the Service Department when road conditions warrant it.
Many of our storm events do not go beyond Priorities #1 and #2 as snow fall is less than 3”. Typically, in a storm lasting for hours, this is repeated more than once and may take 24 hours to complete. It takes 4-6 hours to complete Priorities #1 and #2 for one pass.
Flat residential roads would be treated after Priorities #1 and #2 if more than 3 inches accumulates on the road surface. Flat residential roadways, cul-de-sacs and dead ends do not get salted only plowed. Occasionally, conditions warrant salting residential intersections. To plow all the residential streets, it takes approximately 8-10 hours.
The process that is followed is main routes proceeding to priority residential sloped streets followed by all other non-priority residential streets to begin application. It is common to for equipment breakdowns to occur during a snow event. This adds time and costs to our snow removal efforts. After hours, we work in crews of 5 (i.e. five trucks in service at one time). Note: Only streets that are hazardously sloped in the residential subdivisions will be plowed/salted on overtime. All other residential streets will be plowed as needed but not salted unless extreme circumstances exist and is necessary to ensure safety for residents. All other residential streets will be treated, if needed, during regular business hours (7 to 3:30).
Dependent on road conditions, weather forecast, ambient temperatures, road surface and subsurface temperatures etc., shall be the determining factors on what applications are used. (Salt only, salt & plow, plow only, salt brining, pre-wetting, wetting or de-icing)
One of the most frequent phone calls received at city hall during the winter is when snow and ice removal will occur. Our objective is to have all main thoroughfares and residential streets cleared from curb-to-curb within the following time frames; 12–24 hours from the end of snow events of 3-6-inches on the road and 24–36 hours from the end of snow events greater than 6-inches. If snow is not expected to last beyond these time frames, residential streets will not be treated.
Please remember that snow removal time is influenced by several factors including temperature, humidity, snow and ice, equipment breakdowns, traffic etc. There are other things such as re-freeze that impacts snow and ice removal which typically occurs at night once the sun has gone down and the ambient temperatures begin to fall. This can cause streets that have been treated multiple times via plowing or salting to appear as if they have not been treated after refreezing.
*Riverside’s 20 thoroughfares:
- US Route 35
- State Route 4
- Old Troy Pike (SR 202)
- Brandt Pike (SR 201)
- Woodman Drive
- Harshman Road
- Needmore Road
- Linden Avenue
- Eastman Avenue
- Burkhardt Drive
- Union Schoolhouse Road
- Airway Road
- Springfield Pike
- Valley Pike
- Pleasant Valley Avenue
- Community Drive
- Beatrice Drive
- Schwinn Drive
- Spaulding Road
- Spinning Road
Last modified: January 19, 2024
