25 Snow Removal and Ice Control
1. Policy
Name
25 Snow Removal and Ice Control
2. Responsible
Division and effective date
Public Works Streets Division, effective
date 10/19/07
3. Rationale
or Purpose
This policy establishes the formal Snow
Removal and Ice Control plan for the City of Bristol
4. Policy
Statement
The Streets Division of Public Works has
responsibility for control of snow and ice on City streets. The division
strives to provide snow removal and ice control in a safe and cost effective
manner. The City uses Public Works staff and equipment as well as private
contractors as needed to provide adequate snow removal and ice control for the
safety of travelers on City streets.
5. Scope
This policy applies to all streets within
the City of Bristol
State-maintained roads within the City are
Route 72, Route 69, Route 6 and Route 229. The State is responsible for snow
removal and ice control on these roads. The Streets Division of Public Works
will respond when an emergency situation arises and the State Department of
Transportation is unavailable.
Snow and ice control operations will be
conducted when weather conditions do not endanger the safety of city employees
and equipment. Factors that may delay snow and ice control operations include
severe cold, significant winds, and limited visibility.
6. Procedures
The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will
decide when to begin snow or ice control operations. The criteria for that
decision are:
Notice(s) from weather forecasts and
services
Notice from Bristol Police Department –
precipitation/ emergency specific calls.
Snow accumulation of two (2”) inches or
more
Drifting of snow that causes problems for
travel;
Icy conditions which seriously affect
travel; and
Time of snowfall in relationship to heavy
traffic patterns.
To conserve funds and personnel,
snowplowing operations will not generally be conducted for snowfall of less
than two (2”) inches, however, ice control products and/or abrasives may be
applied to assist in melting ice and traction.
Personnel scheduling and mobilization:
Once snow and ice control operations are
initiated, the Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will contact the appropriate
number of Public Works staff and private contractors to inform them of the
start time and location for operations to begin. Private contractors are only
utilized for plowing.
There are various phases of operations,
shown below, but each event will be unique based on weather forecast, type and
duration of precipitation:
Pre-Storm: Anti-icing agents will be
applied to streets when a storm is imminent.
Public Works staff will apply anti-icing agents based on when
precipitation is expected to begin, and where safety concerns are greatest.
Phase I – notable to significant (minimal
snow fall, rapidly melting snow, squalls or flurries) includes ice control
products and sand mixture being applied to streets where and when needed. This
can range from spot sanding specific areas to city-wide sanding as needed.
Minimal plowing may occur resulting from precipitation
Phase II – major (4”-6” of snow
accumulation expected) includes the use of Public Works staff and equipment,
both plowing and sanding.
Phase III – crippling to extreme (major
snow fall, six inches (6”) or greater accumulation expected) includes Public
Works staff and equipment, plowing and sanding, as well as private contractors
being called in to plow the Districts they are assigned to.
Post-Storm: Within six (6) hours after snow
fall ceases, plowing operations will be completed and city-wide sanding
operations will begin. Factors that may prevent meeting this guideline include
equipment failure, freezing rain or other icing conditions, traffic congestion,
emergency situations, residents/contractors placing snow into the travel way,
and personnel availability.
Due to the unique nature of each storm
event, the Snow and Ice Supervisor must use experience and judgment to balance
safety and expenses for each storm.
Private
Contractors:
Each fall, private contractors may apply to
be considered for assisting the City with snow plowing operations. Eligible
contractors must provide their own vehicle and equipment and comply with all
requirements, rules, and regulations to participate. If enough private
contractors apply and are eligible, a reserve list of contractors will be
created to serve as fill-in or relief.
Private contractors are assigned to a snow
district. Each district has a Group Leader assigned. Group Leaders are
responsible for calling in their snow plow teams. The group leader will assign
each driver/plow to a specific street or area and amend assignments as needed.
Group Leaders are also responsible to oversee and monitor snow plowing progress
in their district. At the conclusion of the weather event, the Group Leader
will complete pay sheets for their team and submit them to the Streets
Superintendent.
Snow Routes:
For snow removal and ice control
operations, the City is divided into five (4) districts which coincide with
City rubbish routes. They are:
District 1, Monday routes – Northeast
section and Fern Hill Road
District 2, Tuesday routes – Southeast
section and Bayberry Drive
District 3, Wednesday routes – Northwest
section
District 4, Thursday/Friday routes –
Downtown, Federal Hill and the southwest section
Minor arterials provide options for
alternate traffic movement and may also connect major arterials; some through
service is provided but traffic volumes are lighter than among major arterials.
Collectors provide for traffic movement between neighborhoods within the City
and also give access to adjacent properties. They create the connecting links
in the street system: traffic can be carried from local streets via collectors
to major and minor arterials. Streets classified as minor arterials and
collectors are included in the list below, along with schools. The streets
which have high priorities for sanding and plowing are:
District 1 (Monday Routes)
Maple Avenue
Mines Road
Round Hill Road
Shrub Road
District 2 (Tuesday Routes)
Birch Street
Central Street (Manross Public Library)
Pine Street (Greene–Hills School
District 3 (Wednesday Routes)
Chapel Street
Meadow Street (City Hall)
Minor Street
District 4 (Thursday Routes)
Center Street (Bristol
High Street (Bristol
Maple Street
Page Avenue
Prospect Street
Queen Street
Summer Street
Crown Street (Bristol Central
School
View Street (Bristol Central
School
Witches Rock Road
Priority:
High volume routes are addressed first.
Streets classified as high volume routes (minor arterials and collectors) which
connect major sections of the city and provide access for emergency fire,
police, hospital and medical services are considered high volume.
City vehicles are deployed to high volume
routes. Contractors may assist the street crews as required.
The second priority streets are those
streets providing access to schools, Bristol Public Schools and Municipal
Buildings, and business centers. These are also cleared by Public Works staff,
but may be assisted by contractors.
The third priority streets are low volume
residential streets. Contractors are primarily assigned to these streets. The
fourth priority areas are municipal parking lots.
The Bristol Park Department is responsible
for the bus shelters located on Blakeslee
Street Broad Street Bristol
City properties, Bristol Public School
District 1
Commuter Parking Lot – Mix Street
Pump Station – Cherry Hill Drive
District 2
Manross Library, Forestville
– Central Street Garden Street
Pump Stations – Broad Street, East Main Street , Wooster
District 3
Clara T. O’Connell School – Park Street
Clarence A. Bingham School (formerly) – North Street
District 4
Board of Education – Church Street
Bristol Public Library (Main &
Children’s) – Main Street
Pump Station – Tyler Way
The City will clear snow and treat City
sidewalks abutting City owned property as necessary. The list of sidewalks is
below. All other sidewalks, except sidewalks under the jurisdiction of the
Bristol Board of Education, Bristol Housing Authority, and the Bristol Park
Department are the responsibility of the abutting owner(s). Sidewalks
maintained by the Department of Public Works include the following:
Meadow Street @ Kelly Street Lot )
High Street – (#5, #51)
High St. @ Queen St
In the event of a life threatening
emergency (such as medical and/or fire response) the Police Department can
request that a snow plow escort the emergency response vehicles. On days when
school is in session, winter maintenance efforts will be timed to coincide with
bus routing and delivery. On weekends, winter maintenance efforts will be timed
to coincide with religious services, excluding State roads which fall under the
jurisdiction of the CT Department of Transportation.
Snow and Ice Control Materials:
The city will use sand, ice control
products, and other chemicals when there are hazardous ice or slippery
conditions. Streets with snow and/or ice are treated with sand/ice control products
mix and magnesium chloride is used as an alternative melting agent when applicable
and available. Magnesium chloride is dispensed in conjunction with the ice
control products and sand mixture to accelerate melting.
Different materials may be used to
experiment their effectiveness for de-icing purposes. The material will be
spread at an appropriate rate for effective control of ice and snow. The
initial application of material is used to minimize the bonding of snow/ice to
the pavement. The City will limit its use of chemicals if there is a negative
impact on the environment as a result of their use.
Public Works is working to establish
parameters for appropriate use and volumes of materials used in winter
operations.
Equipment Inspection:
At
the conclusion of the winter season, Public Works will asses each vehicle for
needed repairs and perform preventive maintenance based on available funding.
In September, the Fleet Maintenance group will be preparing snow removal and
ice control equipment for the upcoming season. Preventive maintenance, seasonal
preparation and improvements and repairs are done as needed.
Equipment Calibration:
The
winter operations fleet is diverse and each truck is unique in design and
equipment. Calibration for distributing ice control products, sand, and
magnesium chloride is done manually by vehicle operators at the direction of
the Snow and Ice Supervisor based on current and expected weather conditions.
The Department of Environmental Protection mandates what abrasive materials are
allowed for snow and ice control in the state of CT, and Public Works complies
with these mandates.
Loading Procedures:
Heavy
Equipment Operators load dump trucks with ice control products/sand for winter
operations using front bucket loaders. When a weather event is imminent, trucks
are loaded in advance of the storm. Newly employed and qualified Heavy
Equipment Operators are trained in all aspects of the dump trucks, bucket
loaders and loading process.
Truck
drivers fill magnesium chloride tanks on their vehicles. Before the start of
each season, refresher training is provided to the drivers on proper procedures
for filling magnesium chloride tanks, and required PPE’s (Personal Protective
Equipment) when filling tanks.
All
trucks are loaded appropriately based on the Gross Vehicle Weight.
Spreading and Plowing Procedures:
Snow will be plowed in a manner so as to
minimize traffic obstructions. The center of the roadway will be plowed first
to open the roads for travel. The snow will then be pushed from left to right.
Contractors with smaller vehicles may need to initially plow the gutter portion
of the street during heavy snowfalls in order to get the snow pushed off the
roadway. The discharge will go onto the tree border area of the street. The
entire width of the street may not be cleared immediately. Our focus is to have
traffic flow during the storm.
On designated streets, the snow will be
pushed toward the center line of the road, with openings cut in the berm of
snow for businesses, intersections, driveways, and pedestrian traffic. The
streets where snow will be plowed to the center of the street are: North Main Street North Street School Street Riverside Avenue Main Street North Main Street
When plowing an intersection, the snow may
be pushed diagonally across from the intersection; the truck will back up
carefully and make a right turn, pushing the snow away from the center of the
intersection and/or continue plowing to the intersection and make a right turn,
keeping the intersection clear as possible. Generally, the street shall be
opened for two (2) way traffic flow and final push back of snow shall be complete
at the end of the storm.
When plowing cul-de-sacs, the snow will be
reasonably distributed to all abutting properties. Most of the snow will be
pushed out of the cul-de-sac, unless there is a staging area located in the
cul-de-sac.
In times of extreme snowfall, streets will
not always immediately be able to be completely cleared of snow. During heavy
snowfall, heavy equipment may be used to keep streets open.
Snow Storage:
The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor will
determine when there is a need for snow to be removed from an area using heavy
equipment and trucks. Such snow removal will occur in areas where there is no
adequate room on the tree border for snow storage, snow accumulation of (18”)
eighteen inches in the gutter portion of the street(s) in the downtown area,
designated streets where the snow is pushed toward the centerline of the
roadway and in areas where accumulated piles of snow create a hazardous
condition (i.e. cul-de-sacs and intersections). Snow removal operations will
commence at the conclusion of other snowplowing operations. Snow removal
operations may also be delayed depending on weather conditions and personnel.
The snow will be removed and hauled to a snow storage area. The snow storage
area will be located so as to minimize environmental problems. Excess snow in
the downtown area can be stored at vacant City owned property in the area, snow
from the northwest section of the City can be stored at the Old Peacedale Street Pine Street Mitchell Street
Snow Operations Damages:
Winter operations may cause property
damage. Crews use due care when they are addressing the streets during winter
operations. Damage typically occurs within the City right-of-way. This is the
area where curbs, driveway aprons, lawns, mailboxes, sidewalks, trees, and
utilities are located. This area is known as the tree border. Damage to private
property, the area located outside of the City right-of-way occurs
infrequently. The City will accept responsibility to private property if it is
apparent that the damage was caused by Public Works or private contractors
(hired by the City for snow removal and ice control) equipment and personnel.
Residents who sustain damage should call the Public Works Department at 584-6125
to report the damage.
Prior to the start of winter operations,
each contractor Group Leader must review their district and proactively
identify problematic issues (manhole cover or catch basins protruding above
street level, basketball hoops in the street, mailboxes not properly installed)
and report their findings for the Streets Superintendent to address.
If damage occurs from winter operations,
and it is verified by the Public Works Department, the Streets Division will
assist the homeowner with such repairs when applicable (mailboxes, lawn damage,
curbing, driveway aprons or tree damage). The Streets Division will make the
damaged area safe to any immediate hazards.
The reported damage will be logged into the
service request data base. Permanent repairs are typically done in the
construction season following the winter season. If a damage report is disputed
or a claim is made of damage to personal property outside of the right-of-way
from winter operations, the resident may make such claim with the Claims
Department of the City of Bristol
Curbing is frequently damaged by winter
operations. Broken curbing that is dislodged from the curb is picked up after
winter operations conclude. Broken curbing still in place will be left and
removed in the construction season as needed. New curbing, loam and seed will
be installed as necessary.
The driveway apron is located at the end of
the driveway where vehicles enter and exit the property from the street. Damage
occasionally occurs to this area during winter operations. The driveway apron
will be repaired during the construction season. The driveway apron is
installed in the right of way portion with a one and one half inch lip to
prevent water from entering the property.
Lawns which are scraped by the plow or
damaged from equipment will be repaired with loam and seed the following season
as the weather dictates. Residents are encouraged to water these areas once the
repair has been made.
Mailboxes are frequently susceptible to
winter operations damage due to their placement in the right-of-way. When
mailboxes are damaged from winter operations, the Streets Division will attempt
to permanently repair the mailbox when feasible. If the mailbox cannot be
repaired, a temporary mailbox is provided and a new mailbox and post, if
required, is installed in the spring time. Public Works uses a standard mailbox
configuration for replacements (4” X 4” pressure-treated post with a basic
mailbox) and if the residents want a different type of replacement, they will
be referred to the City’s Claims Department.
During pre-season inspection by contractor Group Leaders, if a mailboxes
is identified that is not properly installed per Post Office specifications, a
notice is left with the resident to advise them to correct the situation to
avoid damage from snow plowing activity. If the mailbox and post were located
incorrectly, and the resident was notified of the issue, the city will not be
held liable. If a mailbox and/or post were in poor condition prior to damage,
the City may not be held liable.
Claims for damage to utility poles are also
referred to the Claims Department.
Parking Limitations:
City ordinance prohibits on-street parking
between the hours of 2:00 AM
and 6:00 AM between December
15th and March 15th each year. When warranted, a more restrictive storm parking
ban will be enacted which prohibits all on-street parking. The parking ban will
be announced to the public through media resources and stay in effect till the
conclusion of the operation.
7. Roles/Responsibilities
The Snow and Ice Control Supervisor role is
filled by the following positions, in the order presented, based on
availability: Streets Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Streets,
Superintendent of Solid Waste, Solid Waste and Recycling Operations Analyst,
Assistant Director of Public Works.
It is the responsibility of Public Works to
manage ice control and snow removal to ensure safe travel on City streets.
The Streets Maintenance Supervisor will
assign winter operation Group Leaders to
inspect their respective district prior and during the winter operations season and proactively
address any hazards that may cause damage to personal property or equipment.
Supervisors; and Group Leaders (when invoked) will make necessary adjustments
to their assigned areas due to circumstances which affect winter operations.
Group Leaders will oversee trucks and equipment which have been assigned to
them by the Supervisor for storm fighting. The Supervisor(s) may handle a
smaller operation when group leaders are not warranted.
It is the responsibility of residents to
properly locate and maintain mailboxes and other personal property in the
City’s right-of-way to avoid damage from snow plowing.
Travelers are urged to stay off the streets
during a winter storm to help minimize delays in service. It is advisable to
handle all errands prior to the predicted winter weather. The Streets Division and travelers must
afford reasonableness to each other during inclement weather. The Department
appreciates the cooperative effort by the residents and travelers of Bristol
8. Definitions
N/A
9. References
See also City of Bristol
Section 14-32,
Section 14-39, Section 21-23, Section 21-24, Section 21-25, and Section 21-25.2
10.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
N/A
Approval authority:
Board of Public Works
Approved date: 10/19/07
Draft revision: 09/12 (change back to 4 districts)
Review cycle: Annually
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