DPW Snow Plowing

Department of Public Works

Snow Plowing Policy

The City of Plymouth maintains snow removal services on 42 miles of City Streets and alleys. The City also provides snow removal services for eleven parking lots.

CALL OUT PROCEDURE

CALL OUT PROCEDURE
When the roads have about a 1-inch cover of snow the Street Supervisor is responsible to call out two men to spread salt on all City Streets. This operation takes approximately 2 to 3 hours.

If snow accumulates 2 inches or more, all streets will be plowed; if 2 inches or less the streets will be salted and, if needed, sanded at intersections. The Street Supervisor will determine when to call out snowplows. Standard procedure will be to wait until snow has stopped. If snow fall accumulates to prevent traffic movement, the plows will be called out when snow accumulates to about 6 inches, major roads and hills will be plowed once to help people get home, then re-plowed and widened for final snow plowing.

Crews will be called out at 12:00 A.M. to begin final snow plowing. This enables the routes to be plowed with little traffic and cars parked off street. Most of streets can be plowed by 8:00 A.M. the morning following a snowstorm.

The City of Plymouth Police Department will work with the Street Supervisor and notify the D.P.W. or his designated assistant any time the roadways become snow covered and slippery.

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SNOW PLOWING SEQUENCE

Highways, and emergency services will be first priority in snow removal sequence. The goal will be to plow these areas down to bare pavement as soon as practical.

Eastern Avenue, Western Avenue, North Milwaukee, Suhrke Road (to the Town Fire Hall), South Milwaukee, South Street, Fairview Drive, Highland Avenue, Summit Street, Kiley Way, Walton Drive, Columbia Drive and Carr Road are considered the Highway routes. The Hospital route is considered Selma Street and Reed Street from Selma Street to South Street.

Some snow plowing less than 2 inches of snow may consist to just plowing the Highways, Hospitals and short ends and the Hills.

The Short ends are the downtown areas between the Mullet River and Main Street and Western Avenue. The hills are Summit Street, Fond Du Lac Street, Main Street, Franklin Street, Fremont Street, Frederick Street, Adrian Court and South Bruns Street, East Clifford Street, Bittersweet Lane, and Dewey Lane (from Reed Street to South Bruns Street).

When Highways and emergency services are done, each driver is assigned his route. There are 8 snowplow routes for streets and 2 snowplow routes for parking lots. The goal for these areas is to make the roads as clean and possible for winter driving conditions.

Areas of major consideration are businesses, industrial, schools and churches. Depending on the day to the week these facilities receive priority over residential areas.

The Department of Public Works will also cooperate fully with the City Police Department, to help in hazardous situations and to help maintain traffic flow.

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DOWNTOWN AREAS SNOW REMOVAL

The Downtown Area is defined as those Streets, between the Mullet River, Main Street, and Western Avenue. Also to include Stafford Street South to the railroad tracks and Mill Street west to Spring Street.

When the snow banks downtown accumulate banks of 6 inches or higher, making it difficult to step over the City will remove the snow from the downtown areas. It is the responsibility of the Street Supervisor to determine when snow shall be removed from the Downtown.

When practical the day after a snow plowing, typically 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. crews will be sent out to clear sidewalks, and crews will be put to work installing side boards on the trucks for snow hauling. Preparation is also made to clear the areas where the snow will be hauled to that night.

Two crews are called out the night of snow hauling. One crew begins between 12:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. to pull the snow banks out into the roadway with a motor grader, front-end loader, and shovels. The snow is placed in windrows in the street. This crew is given an hour head start to prepare the snow for the snow blowing crew. One hour later the snow blower crew begins picking up the windrow snow with the snow blower loading the trucks. The snow is hauled to the nearest snow-dumping site. The majority of the snow is hauled to the parking lots at City Park. Cooperation of the City Police Department is needed to help remove cars parked on the street for this operation.

Snow hauling will continue each night until all areas have been cleared.

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SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL

Sidewalks will be cleared, after street plowing has been completed, excepting at City Hall and the Library, where the custodian staff removes snow. Sidewalks and cross walks maintained by the City are cleared during the day, with the Steiner tractor and Ford tractor, walk behind snow blowers, and shovels. No overtime will be allotted for clearing sidewalks. The goal is to clear sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of a snowfall, down to bare pavement. When ice or snow remains on the sidewalks, they will be salted or sanded.

For light snows, where salting on streets is only required, all sidewalks will be cleared.

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SAND BARRELS

Sand barrels shall be set out as directed by the Street Supervisor. The goal will be to have, sand barrels out by November 15th of each year.

After each snowfall, sand barrels shall be inspected and restocked with sand as needed.

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PARKING LOTS:

Parking Ramp
East Municipal Lot
West Municipal Lot
Municipal Parking Ramp
Library Parking Lot
City Hall Parking Lot
Police Department Parking Lot
Fairview School Parking Area
Middle School Parking Area
City Garage Parking Area
Barbecue Parking Lot
Plymouth Utilities driveways
Plymouth Utilities waste water treatment plant driveway

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EQUIPMENT:

Equipment to clear streets:

Unit 620 2003 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 623 2005 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 624 1995 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 625 1991 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 626 1987 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 628 1980 Dump truck with plow-wing and spreader

Unit 629 1992 Motor grader with snow wing

Unit 630 1997 Wheel loader with plow and wing

Unit 631 2002 Dump truck with plow and spreader

Unit 632 1991 Wheel loader with plow

Unit 640 2002 Pickup truck with plow

Equipment to Clear Sidewalks:

1995 Industrial tractor with powerbroom

1998 Industrial tractor with snow blower

2000 Industrial tractor with snow blower

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