Question: Why didn’t the City plow or salt my road?

Answer:  There could be several reasons that a particular road is not plowed. Sometimes, vehicles parked on the road prevent plowing, but it may be because the storm was not heavy enough.

In 2008, the City Council adopted a policy governing snow removal, which we still follow:  

Large storms (4-inches or more) – plows attempt to clear every road in the City, including cul-de-sacs.  But with over 100 miles of road and a small fleet of plows, it takes 16-20 hours to do so.

Medium storms (1-3 inches) – only arterial and neighborhood collector roads are cleared.

Small storms (1-inch or less) – salting of main roads.

Plows also prioritize their routes:

Arterial and high-volume streets 

Minor arterials and neighborhood collectors

Local roads and cul-de-sacs

Since the snowplows are designed to remove loose snow, packed snow may remain on the roads.

We provide efficient service to residents at the lowest cost.  This efficiency allows us to invest limited road funds into repair and paving projects.

More information can be found at http://www.syracuseut.com/public-works.

Do you have a community question?  Submit your question to proberts@syracuseut.com.