Snow Control Plan

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Whjite plow truck pushing snow off a roadway with fog and pine trees in the background.

Winter brings challenges for our community in the form of ice and snow. Although conditions can vary greatly throughout the valley, our Public Works department trains each year to prepare and meet the community's needs. We conduct training classes each fall with all staff to get them in the winter mindset and go over any changes to operations. The Fleet staff inspect all plow trucks and winter response equipment to ensure they are ready to deploy at the first sign of a storm.

Storm Classifications

Winter storms are categorized into one of three classifications depending on the level of precipitation.

Class I:

Snow accumulations of no more than 1 inch in depth with imminent or present icy conditions and temperatures at or below freezing.

Response: Treatment of the roadway with abrasives. Resources will involve one or more plows depending on the size of the area affected by the storm.

Why do we do it this way? Plows are not effective on ice or snowfall less than 2 inches, and instead damage equipment and road surfaces. Adding abrasives in the form of ice slicer, sand, and cinder help with vehicle traction.

Class II:

Weather conditions include snow accumulations from 2 to 6 inches with current and forecasted temperatures at or below freezing.

Response: Deployment of a full crew (six plows) across all affected areas with plowing and abrasives used as needed.

Class III:

Weather conditions include snow accumulations of more than 6 inches with current and forecasted temperatures below freezing

Response: Deployment of a full crew (six plows) across all affected areas, with plowing and abrasives used as needed. If the storm is forecasted to last across several shifts or days, a second crew is formed from other public works staff and deployed in a 12-hour shift rotation. This provides 24-hour coverage for the community until the storm has abated and driving conditions return to near-normal.

Road Plowing Priority


Our goal is to ensure that the most heavily traveled roads (arterial roads) and school bus routes are addressed first. The plow crews will not move on to lower priority roads until they are sure that the high traffic routes have been made as safe as possible. Sometimes this means that they must clear roads multiple times, especially when snow is still falling. At times, the snow is falling faster than they can clear it, so second priority and residential roads may not be addressed until the storm has passed.


Level 1:

  • Bear Valley Road
  • Lower Valley Road
  • Cumberland
  • Lower San Juan
  • Jacaranda
  • Paramount
  • Deertrail
  • Skyline

Level 2

  • Oakflat
  • Saddleback
  • Rolling Oak
  • Greenwater
  • Starland
  • Upper Pinedale
  • Stirrup Way

Opening vs Clearing

This has been opened, but not yet cleared.

This road is cleared, with the snow pushed to the shoulders

Our approach to snow removal strives to open all roads as quickly as we can after the storm begins. This means our first effort is an 'up and back' approach. Only after we have opened all roads and made them safe for travel will we return and clear the road, pushing the remaining snow onto the shoulders where possible.

We recognize that some residents may have cleared their driveways before our final pass, resulting in the windrow blocking the cleaned driveway. Our plow drivers do what they can to minimize this impact but in many cases, they may be unable to avoid blocking driveways as their focus is to make the roads as safe and passable as they can.

We continually focus on improving our service and minimizing the impact storms have on residents' travel plans, but during heavy snowfalls, it can take days to return all roads to a safe, drivable condition. It is best to prepare to be snowbound so that you can weather the storms in comfort.



Winter brings challenges for our community in the form of ice and snow. Although conditions can vary greatly throughout the valley, our Public Works department trains each year to prepare and meet the community's needs. We conduct training classes each fall with all staff to get them in the winter mindset and go over any changes to operations. The Fleet staff inspect all plow trucks and winter response equipment to ensure they are ready to deploy at the first sign of a storm.

Storm Classifications

Winter storms are categorized into one of three classifications depending on the level of precipitation.

Class I:

Snow accumulations of no more than 1 inch in depth with imminent or present icy conditions and temperatures at or below freezing.

Response: Treatment of the roadway with abrasives. Resources will involve one or more plows depending on the size of the area affected by the storm.

Why do we do it this way? Plows are not effective on ice or snowfall less than 2 inches, and instead damage equipment and road surfaces. Adding abrasives in the form of ice slicer, sand, and cinder help with vehicle traction.

Class II:

Weather conditions include snow accumulations from 2 to 6 inches with current and forecasted temperatures at or below freezing.

Response: Deployment of a full crew (six plows) across all affected areas with plowing and abrasives used as needed.

Class III:

Weather conditions include snow accumulations of more than 6 inches with current and forecasted temperatures below freezing

Response: Deployment of a full crew (six plows) across all affected areas, with plowing and abrasives used as needed. If the storm is forecasted to last across several shifts or days, a second crew is formed from other public works staff and deployed in a 12-hour shift rotation. This provides 24-hour coverage for the community until the storm has abated and driving conditions return to near-normal.

Road Plowing Priority


Our goal is to ensure that the most heavily traveled roads (arterial roads) and school bus routes are addressed first. The plow crews will not move on to lower priority roads until they are sure that the high traffic routes have been made as safe as possible. Sometimes this means that they must clear roads multiple times, especially when snow is still falling. At times, the snow is falling faster than they can clear it, so second priority and residential roads may not be addressed until the storm has passed.


Level 1:

  • Bear Valley Road
  • Lower Valley Road
  • Cumberland
  • Lower San Juan
  • Jacaranda
  • Paramount
  • Deertrail
  • Skyline

Level 2

  • Oakflat
  • Saddleback
  • Rolling Oak
  • Greenwater
  • Starland
  • Upper Pinedale
  • Stirrup Way

Opening vs Clearing

This has been opened, but not yet cleared.

This road is cleared, with the snow pushed to the shoulders

Our approach to snow removal strives to open all roads as quickly as we can after the storm begins. This means our first effort is an 'up and back' approach. Only after we have opened all roads and made them safe for travel will we return and clear the road, pushing the remaining snow onto the shoulders where possible.

We recognize that some residents may have cleared their driveways before our final pass, resulting in the windrow blocking the cleaned driveway. Our plow drivers do what they can to minimize this impact but in many cases, they may be unable to avoid blocking driveways as their focus is to make the roads as safe and passable as they can.

We continually focus on improving our service and minimizing the impact storms have on residents' travel plans, but during heavy snowfalls, it can take days to return all roads to a safe, drivable condition. It is best to prepare to be snowbound so that you can weather the storms in comfort.



Q&A

Have questions about our snow plowing procedures, road priorities, or other snow control topics? We're here to help you find the answers you need!

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  • Share Why is there no current road condition map/info for the current storm 2/22-2/23/2022? on Facebook Share Why is there no current road condition map/info for the current storm 2/22-2/23/2022? on Twitter Share Why is there no current road condition map/info for the current storm 2/22-2/23/2022? on Linkedin Email Why is there no current road condition map/info for the current storm 2/22-2/23/2022? link

    Why is there no current road condition map/info for the current storm 2/22-2/23/2022?

    BVSRetired asked about 2 years ago

    This is a great question, and I apologize for not getting a current road condition map up. Because this storm was expected to be small (1-3" of snow) and the weather had been warm before the storm, I failed to anticipate the need for a road conditions map. When the storm hit, my husband was one of those commuters wrecked on the 202. As a result, I spent the first several hours of the storm dealing with that and took a day off work the following day. We are a small team of people who wear many hats, and at this time, I am the only person trained and current with this site. We will take steps to correct this weakness in the future.
    - Megan Clark, Communications Specialist

  • Share El Rancho was a Tier 2 priority for plowing because of the cell phone towers/communication hub for KCFD. I see that this winter it was taken off the Tier 2 list. Why and does that make sense if it inaccessible to work crews should a tower go down? on Facebook Share El Rancho was a Tier 2 priority for plowing because of the cell phone towers/communication hub for KCFD. I see that this winter it was taken off the Tier 2 list. Why and does that make sense if it inaccessible to work crews should a tower go down? on Twitter Share El Rancho was a Tier 2 priority for plowing because of the cell phone towers/communication hub for KCFD. I see that this winter it was taken off the Tier 2 list. Why and does that make sense if it inaccessible to work crews should a tower go down? on Linkedin Email El Rancho was a Tier 2 priority for plowing because of the cell phone towers/communication hub for KCFD. I see that this winter it was taken off the Tier 2 list. Why and does that make sense if it inaccessible to work crews should a tower go down? link

    El Rancho was a Tier 2 priority for plowing because of the cell phone towers/communication hub for KCFD. I see that this winter it was taken off the Tier 2 list. Why and does that make sense if it inaccessible to work crews should a tower go down?

    Anjali Tierra asked over 2 years ago

    Our road crew uses a standard urban planning technique called a "hierarchy of roads" that identifies a road's place in the road network. This hierarchy is based on through-traffic, and identifies roads as arterial, collector, residential through streets, and cul-de-sac streets. Our roads are plowed based on their level in the hierarchy: Arterial roads first, collector roads second, residential streets, and finally cul-de-sac or dead-end roads.

    Based on the hierarchy, El Ranch is a bottom tier, dead-end road, but in reality it has a higher priority than other residential roads because of the cell towers.

  • Share One of the questions on the awareness survey asked if you knew where your street fell in the plowing priority list. My question is: San Juan is listed in the top tier; however, I don't think that includes Upper San Juan, does it? If not, that should probably be indicated, so residents will know for sure. I noticed that some streets were differentiated by Upper & Lower, but not San Juan. Thanks on Facebook Share One of the questions on the awareness survey asked if you knew where your street fell in the plowing priority list. My question is: San Juan is listed in the top tier; however, I don't think that includes Upper San Juan, does it? If not, that should probably be indicated, so residents will know for sure. I noticed that some streets were differentiated by Upper & Lower, but not San Juan. Thanks on Twitter Share One of the questions on the awareness survey asked if you knew where your street fell in the plowing priority list. My question is: San Juan is listed in the top tier; however, I don't think that includes Upper San Juan, does it? If not, that should probably be indicated, so residents will know for sure. I noticed that some streets were differentiated by Upper & Lower, but not San Juan. Thanks on Linkedin Email One of the questions on the awareness survey asked if you knew where your street fell in the plowing priority list. My question is: San Juan is listed in the top tier; however, I don't think that includes Upper San Juan, does it? If not, that should probably be indicated, so residents will know for sure. I noticed that some streets were differentiated by Upper & Lower, but not San Juan. Thanks link

    One of the questions on the awareness survey asked if you knew where your street fell in the plowing priority list. My question is: San Juan is listed in the top tier; however, I don't think that includes Upper San Juan, does it? If not, that should probably be indicated, so residents will know for sure. I noticed that some streets were differentiated by Upper & Lower, but not San Juan. Thanks

    L Flores asked over 2 years ago

    We have updated the snow plan above to indicate that Lower San Juan is priority 1. Thank you for your submission!

  • Share With the new RFID gate, how does the gate staff determine who is allowed to enter during a snow storm? Not every vehicle with an RFID sticker is a 4x4, All Wheel Drive or has chains. Will the gate personnel shut down the RFID lane sooner or can the CSD provide a different sticker for 4x4’s and All wheel drive vehicles allowing them to by pass the long lines during a storm? I feel a second sticker would be the best option because the sooner people can get through the gate and home the less cars there will be on our roads. We all know when the snow starts to fall, it comes down hard and fast. on Facebook Share With the new RFID gate, how does the gate staff determine who is allowed to enter during a snow storm? Not every vehicle with an RFID sticker is a 4x4, All Wheel Drive or has chains. Will the gate personnel shut down the RFID lane sooner or can the CSD provide a different sticker for 4x4’s and All wheel drive vehicles allowing them to by pass the long lines during a storm? I feel a second sticker would be the best option because the sooner people can get through the gate and home the less cars there will be on our roads. We all know when the snow starts to fall, it comes down hard and fast. on Twitter Share With the new RFID gate, how does the gate staff determine who is allowed to enter during a snow storm? Not every vehicle with an RFID sticker is a 4x4, All Wheel Drive or has chains. Will the gate personnel shut down the RFID lane sooner or can the CSD provide a different sticker for 4x4’s and All wheel drive vehicles allowing them to by pass the long lines during a storm? I feel a second sticker would be the best option because the sooner people can get through the gate and home the less cars there will be on our roads. We all know when the snow starts to fall, it comes down hard and fast. on Linkedin Email With the new RFID gate, how does the gate staff determine who is allowed to enter during a snow storm? Not every vehicle with an RFID sticker is a 4x4, All Wheel Drive or has chains. Will the gate personnel shut down the RFID lane sooner or can the CSD provide a different sticker for 4x4’s and All wheel drive vehicles allowing them to by pass the long lines during a storm? I feel a second sticker would be the best option because the sooner people can get through the gate and home the less cars there will be on our roads. We all know when the snow starts to fall, it comes down hard and fast. link

    With the new RFID gate, how does the gate staff determine who is allowed to enter during a snow storm? Not every vehicle with an RFID sticker is a 4x4, All Wheel Drive or has chains. Will the gate personnel shut down the RFID lane sooner or can the CSD provide a different sticker for 4x4’s and All wheel drive vehicles allowing them to by pass the long lines during a storm? I feel a second sticker would be the best option because the sooner people can get through the gate and home the less cars there will be on our roads. We all know when the snow starts to fall, it comes down hard and fast.

    1BaroqueGirl asked over 2 years ago

    When vehicles are input into the RFID system, 4x4 status is included. There is a switch in the Gatehouse RFID system that, when turned on, will not open the gate for 2WD vehicles. This gives staff a chance to examine the vehicle and turn them around or, if they have chains installed, allow them through. The regular windshield stickers have different shapes for 4x4 (circle shape) and 2WD (diamond shape). We recommend everyone with a 2WD vehicle come through the visitor lane to allow the 4x4/AWD vehicles to flow through the RFID lane.

  • Share Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm new to BVS, and I not sure of the location of Domino Hill (if it's this dangerous during snow storms, perhaps it should be shown on a map). I live off Skyline, so I assume it's the grade on Bear Valley Rd past Cumberland Rd. Also, where does one install chains? It would seem to me, if one is told at the entrance that chains are required, there are few if any places to install chains once one is past the gate. I would think some sort of warning signage would be advised, perhaps one of those portable digital road signs should be placed at Bear Valley Rd and Cummings Rd to advise that chains and/or 4x4 are necessary, so drivers have a warning and opportunity to install chains prior to entering BVS. on Facebook Share Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm new to BVS, and I not sure of the location of Domino Hill (if it's this dangerous during snow storms, perhaps it should be shown on a map). I live off Skyline, so I assume it's the grade on Bear Valley Rd past Cumberland Rd. Also, where does one install chains? It would seem to me, if one is told at the entrance that chains are required, there are few if any places to install chains once one is past the gate. I would think some sort of warning signage would be advised, perhaps one of those portable digital road signs should be placed at Bear Valley Rd and Cummings Rd to advise that chains and/or 4x4 are necessary, so drivers have a warning and opportunity to install chains prior to entering BVS. on Twitter Share Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm new to BVS, and I not sure of the location of Domino Hill (if it's this dangerous during snow storms, perhaps it should be shown on a map). I live off Skyline, so I assume it's the grade on Bear Valley Rd past Cumberland Rd. Also, where does one install chains? It would seem to me, if one is told at the entrance that chains are required, there are few if any places to install chains once one is past the gate. I would think some sort of warning signage would be advised, perhaps one of those portable digital road signs should be placed at Bear Valley Rd and Cummings Rd to advise that chains and/or 4x4 are necessary, so drivers have a warning and opportunity to install chains prior to entering BVS. on Linkedin Email Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm new to BVS, and I not sure of the location of Domino Hill (if it's this dangerous during snow storms, perhaps it should be shown on a map). I live off Skyline, so I assume it's the grade on Bear Valley Rd past Cumberland Rd. Also, where does one install chains? It would seem to me, if one is told at the entrance that chains are required, there are few if any places to install chains once one is past the gate. I would think some sort of warning signage would be advised, perhaps one of those portable digital road signs should be placed at Bear Valley Rd and Cummings Rd to advise that chains and/or 4x4 are necessary, so drivers have a warning and opportunity to install chains prior to entering BVS. link

    Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm new to BVS, and I not sure of the location of Domino Hill (if it's this dangerous during snow storms, perhaps it should be shown on a map). I live off Skyline, so I assume it's the grade on Bear Valley Rd past Cumberland Rd. Also, where does one install chains? It would seem to me, if one is told at the entrance that chains are required, there are few if any places to install chains once one is past the gate. I would think some sort of warning signage would be advised, perhaps one of those portable digital road signs should be placed at Bear Valley Rd and Cummings Rd to advise that chains and/or 4x4 are necessary, so drivers have a warning and opportunity to install chains prior to entering BVS.

    Brad G asked over 2 years ago

    Hi Brad, We are looking into a digital road sign for the gate for that very purpose!  I hope these maps help. Domino Hill stretches from Cumberland to Columbia way (Between Cumberland Rd and the Church). Another traditionally slippery spot is "Toric  Hill" - I believe this hill is named for someone who used to live on that stretch of road in the early years. I've included that too. It's on the opposite side of Bear Valley Road as you drive towards the fire station.


    A Satellite map showing a red line between Columbia Way and Cumberland RoadDomino Hill


    A satellite map showing a red line between Hart and San Juan DriveToric Hill

     

     

  • Share Why is Lava usage so little ? on Facebook Share Why is Lava usage so little ? on Twitter Share Why is Lava usage so little ? on Linkedin Email Why is Lava usage so little ? link

    Why is Lava usage so little ?

    Don asked over 2 years ago

    Good morning Don. We use a mixture of rock and sand in areas where momentum changes, specifically on grades where we know ice formation is likely. We don't use it on flat areas.  As traffic moves over the grit, it's pushed off to the edges of the road. After a storm, it is reapplied daily until the roadways are clear.

Page last updated: 26 Feb 2023, 07:26 AM