Public Works - Snow Removal

Procedure
Roads employees are "called out" by the Roadmaster. He is notified of poor winter conditions by a variety of means, including the Township's police department, 911, and State Police, as well as regular monitoring of weather reports on television and radio channels. Once a call is made it generally takes 45 to 60 minutes before the winter maintenance operation begins. Each driver must complete a vehicle check before loading materials. Depending on the timing of the storm, application of anti-skid and salt usually takes 2 hours; plowing takes nearly 8 hours from the end of the storm.

Salt & Skid Materials
Salt and anti-skid are stored in the township's salt sheds in the maintenance yard, which can hold a capacity of 400 tons of material. In a typical year, the township uses 300 tons of material to treat the roads. Material has to be ordered and trucked in throughout the winter.

The first operation during a snow event of any magnitude is to get salt and anti-skid down on the roads to keep the snow from adhering to the road surface. Most times this is all that has to be done. Salt can melt off two inches of snow depending on the conditions. Temperatures above 26 degrees Fahrenheit and traffic help salt work. Temperatures below 26 degrees Fahrenheit can cause salt to lose its effectiveness. Plowing usually takes place when there is snow of 3 inches or more.

Material can still be put down during the plowing process and most of the time it is. During certain persistent storms, that require the roads to be plowed several times, anti-skid and salt are not put down again until the end of the storm is near. This is done primarily to save material and not to waste it.

Role of the Resident During Snow Removal
Many problems occur during snow removal - traffic, duration of the storm, amount of snow, equipment failures, and fatigue - all hinder the snow removal process. Lowhill Township is committed to providing the best service possible. The patience and cooperation of township residents make the snow removal process much easier.

Limit Trips
Snowstorms are stressful. When a storm occurs during the week the snow removal operation is significantly slower as the plows must deal with heavier traffic from rush hour and school dismissals. The public is asked to please limit their trips during snow events.

Parking
The Township Code Ordinances prohibits parking on any public streets during any snowstorm, ice storm, or snowfall during which snow or ice removal operations are undertaken by the Township. This regulation is to ensure that a snowplow can pass through a street that would otherwise be too narrow if cars were parked at the curb.

For more information please click HERE.