With the extremely high amounts of snow we have received, snow removal operations on City
streets and cul-de-sacs have generated some very large piles and banks of snow.
For their safety, children should be instructed to NOT play on these banks or make
tunnels in them.
During the next few days and weeks, the City will be pushing back these banks with large
equipment in an effort to provide storage area for future snowfalls.
Adopt a fire hydrant:
Keep it clear of snow
Do a good deed for your community – clear snow away from fire hydrants. This
provides quick access for firefighters and water maintenance workers in case of an emergency.
Owners of private hydrants are responsible for and encouraged to clear the snow away from their
hydrants, to aid in their location if an emergency were to arise requiring immediate access to
them.
Who is responsible for snow removal
Snow removal is primarily the responsibility of the Street, Park and Facilities Sections in the
Public Works Maintenance Division. In addition:
Police monitor street conditions and enforce snow-related ordinances.
Equipment personnel keep plows ready to operate and conduct quick repairs as necessary
during a storm.
Utility crews augment Maintenance staff to operate equipment.
Residents help by complying with snow-related ordinances and reporting slippery
intersections or other unsafe areas they encounter.
Snow facts
Bloomington averages 40 inches of snow per year which results in 10 to 12 plowable snowfalls
per year.
Plowing all of Bloomington means clearing snow from:
2,016 lane miles
512 cul-de-sacs
250 miles of sidewalks
33 skating rinks
Every municipal building parking lot and walkway
Average Cost per Household: $10.80 per year
City snowplow operators drive 2,100 total miles in a snow emergency. If that doesn't sound
impressive, consider this: that is all the way to Mazatlan, Mexico!
The strategy
The strategy used to plow streets, sidewalks and other City facilities depends on the
interaction of several factors:
Time the snow began.
Duration of snowfall.
Type of snow - light/dry or wet/heavy.
Temperature before and after snowfall.
High winds - drifting.
Snow accumulation.
Available equipment - breakdowns.
Available staff.
Despite what can seem like a complex process, the goal of the City's plowing efforts is
simple: to maintain safe travel by pedestrians and vehicles throughout Bloomington.
Proactive solutions to safer roads
Making your winter drive a little less slippery
To make roads safer before snow falls, the City pre-treats streets with an anti-icing brine
solution. The brine solution, a liquid mixture of salt and water that is sprayed on, prevents
ice from bonding with street surfaces. Once the liquid solution is sprayed, it evaporates and
leaves behind thin lines of salt. The salt prevents the bonding of snow and ice to the street
so snowplows can scrape the street clean. This process reduces the amount of salt that needs to
be applied when streets are plowed. The anti-icing process leaves several stripes of salt
behind, making roads that have recently been de-iced easily identifiable.
Anti-icing
Bloomington Today: February 8, 2012
Along with streets, city plows sidewalks
Park Maintenance is responsible for snow removal on over 250 miles of sidewalks throughout the
city. We have five sidewalk snow removal units. Removal from a snowfall of 3-5 inches takes
approximately four days to complete. Walks are prioritized into three groups:
First priority: School walking areas, heavily used wheelchair accessible areas and
high use areas by main roads.
Second priority: Walks expanding out from the school and along major roads.
Third priority: Residential and industrial areas.
If snow falls over a long time period, the City may repeatedly return to priority one areas
before clearing lesser-used areas. Residents are asked to be patient in such situations. Crews
will complete the job, but it may take two to three weeks, depending on weather conditions.
Plows need to push snow off both sides of a sidewalk. In heavy snowfall, banks along walks may
become too high for V-plow snow removal. In this case, snow blowers must be used extending the
time for completion by at least 2-3 times. Obstacles in right-of-ways, either on or along
sidewalks, i.e. timbers, boulders, shrubs or trash cans, hinder snow removal. The City
appreciates your help in maintaining sidewalks and keeping right-of-ways clear of obstacles, so
snow can be removed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Every snowfall is unique, so responses vary, but here is an example of the typical process:
The National Weather Service forecasts the possibility of one to five inches of snow the
following day. The City of Bloomington's Maintenance and Equipment Divisions check and
prepare snow removal equipment and materials.
The next day, snowfall begins at 1 p.m. Maintenance personnel from the Street Section monitor
and sand streets as needed. By 3 p.m., the snow is falling heavily and one and one-half inches
has accumulated. Twenty-six Street employees have been plowing and sanding priority streets. It
continues to snow after 3:30 p.m., when the regular workday has ended. Twelve operators remain
to plow and sand priority streets.
At 6 p.m., the National Weather Service and local media announce that snow in excess of three
inches has fallen. The City Snow Emergency Parking Ban automatically goes into effect and the
City Snow Hotline is updated. Snow continues to fall until 10 p.m.; a total of four inches has
accumulated. All priority streets have been plowed and sanded through rush hour.
The Police Department is advised that the remaining Street personnel will be leaving and an
"all-personnel call-out" will occur at 3 a.m. Police enforce the parking ban in a
snow emergency which states that no parking is allowed on any city street for 48 hours, or
until the street is plowed its full width.
All-personnel call-out
3 a.m.
All personnel call-out occurs. Maintenance personnel from Street (26 people), Park (20),
Facilities (6) and Utilities (6) Sections begin plowing priority streets, municipal parking
lots and cul-de-sacs.
5:30 a.m.
Priority areas are cleared. Plowing begins on other streets, and continues on cul-de-sacs.
6 a.m.
Additional Park Maintenance employees (6) begin removing snow from priority sidewalks,
typically located along County roads and City priority streets.
6:30 a.m.
Additional Facilities Maintenance employees (6) begin removal from City parking lots and
walkways.
7 a.m.
Support staff forwards phone messages to employees, and provides information to the public.
The Snow Emergency Hotline is updated. The Equipment Division repairs equipment throughout the
operation, and for several days after completion.
3 p.m.
All City streets and cul-de-sacs have been plowed their full width and sanded. The same is
true for City buildings and parking lots. Maintenance staff not involved with sidewalk plowing
are released.
3:30 p.m.
Sidewalk plowing crew ends workday. Some first priority sidewalks have had snow redeposited on
them by County or City street clearing operations.
Twenty-four hours after the snow began to accumulate, the streets and city lots are plowed.
Back to the usual routine
The following day, Street Maintenance plows where "snowbirds" vehicles violating the
parking ban have been tagged by Police and towed. Crews re-sand locations that have become
slippery due to traffic. Park Maintenance is plowing sidewalks, and will continue for three
days. Crews continue to clear skating rinks. Other Maintenance personnel return to usual
duties.
