Snow and Ice Control Services Explained

The Snow and Ice Control Policy states the following:

“The principle objective of the Larimer County Snow and Ice Control Program is to provide for safe and efficient travel on Larimer County roads during inclement winter weather.  Snow and Ice control is considered a core Road and Bridge program, vital to the economic and social welfare of the county.”

So, what does this mean and how is it implemented? 

DRIVEWAYS

Due to the number of driveways intersecting county roads, Larimer County does not have the time and resources to clear private driveways whether due to initial snow storm or windrows generated from snow plowing. Therefore, citizens need to be prepared to clear windrows of snow deposited in front of their driveways potentially several times through a storm.

MAINLINE COUNTY ROADS

Larimer County Road and Bridge performs snow and ice control services on 686 center lane miles of mainline road including paved and gravel surfaces.  County wide we apply ~ 5000 tons of ice and traction control material each year and log ~ 10,000 man hours per year to this effort.  We perform these services from 7 shop locations spread throughout the county.

The 686 miles of road are divided into 27 routes with a plow and operator assigned to each route.  That equates to each plow having ~ 25 center line miles of road to maintain meaning the plow must travel ~ 50 miles to cover each road once in each direction.  Depending on the storm event, it takes an average of 2-3 hours to cover a route once and each route must be covered at least twice in order to center and widen the road.  If the storm continues or conditions warrant, the route may require several more rounds to ensure safe and efficient travel.

Throughout the winter, crews are performing routine roadway maintenance activities and Managers are monitoring weather forecasts.  The day prior to a forecast winter storm, plow trucks and other snow removal equipment are readied and stationed at the 7 shop locations.  If winter weather is forecast to occur overnight, we are monitoring road conditions throughout the night and developing a response plan for the following day.  This monitoring consists of reviewing weather forecasting sites, checking our Road Weather Information Stations  and having employees physically check road conditions.  If it is deemed necessary to dispatch crews to address road conditions those decisions are made early in the morning and crews report to work at 3:30 a.m. to ready plows and receive work assignments.  Plows are then on the road at 4:00 a.m. with the goal of having all Level 1 roads plowed by 7:00 a.m.; in time for the morning commute and school bus traffic.  Operations then continue as dictated by the storm event and policy, through 6:00 p.m. in the evening.  When the storm event is over and snow and ice control work is complete, plows and spreaders are unloaded and crews return to routine maintenance activities

Weekends and Holidays

The same procedures are implemented as those during the week except that hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. meaning crews are in at 6:30 a.m. in order to have plows on the road by 7:00 a.m.

With the exception of a limited selection of county roads, Snow and Ice Control services do not occur between 6:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.

SUBDIVISIONS

So what about subdivisions?  As defined in the policy, subdivisions are Level 4 roads

“Level Four roads will only receive snow and ice control services when, in the opinion of the Road and Bridge Director, conditions warrant and then only after the needs of Level One through Level Three roads have been met.”

Larimer County provides snow and ice control services in 89 separate subdivisions totaling 86 centerline miles of roadway.  There are 15 subdivision routes.

When deciding whether or not to plow subdivisions we are considering the following:

• Is the depth and consistency of the snow prohibiting reasonable ingress/egress from the subdivision. 
• Given the timing of when we can get to the Level 4 roads, can we make conditions better or will plowing do more harm than good.

During most routine winter storms, snow depths and consistency of the snow do not prohibit reasonable ingress/egress and we will therefore not plow Level 4 roads.  Many times, by the time our crews are finished dealing with the mainline county roads, folks have shoveled their driveways, made a path through the subdivision, and are getting in and out “ok”.  We will assess if plowing will improve conditions within the subdivision or make things more difficult.  When we plow a subdivision street, we leave a windrow of snow and ice down both sides of the street as we move snow from the center to the edge.  This windrow may be several feet deep and blocks driveways and parked cars after residents have shoveled these areas out.  When this scenario exists, we may choose not to plow subdivisions or limit our plowing to specific areas that are creating issues. 

What all that means is subdivisions do not get plowed very often.  If you are experiencing issues with the condition of your subdivision streets call (970) 498-5650 and we will send someone out to assess the conditions.