Click below to view Snow Plan Video (larger version at bottom of
page)
What’s What in Winter
Columbus Snow Plan Overview
The City of Columbus prioritizes snow and
ice-control efforts in four levels and addresses the
most heavily traveled roads first along with streets
necessary for emergency vehicles. Roads are prioritized
as:
3: Collector residential
streets, e.g., Oakland Park, Hague, Courtright
4: Residential streets
When the City of Columbus does plow
residential streets ¨
The goal is to make residential streets passable ¨
Plow trucks do not plow down to bare pavement on
residential streets ¨
Residential streets typically are not plowed the
entire curb-to-curb width ¨
On cul-de-sacs, plow trucks plow enough of the
cul-de-sac “bulb” allow vehicles to turn around,
rather than go right to the cul-de-sac bulb curb
Columbus is responsible for maintaining portions of
State Routes 315 and 104 and US Route 33. The interstate
system, I-70, I-71, I-670 and I-270 in central Ohio, is
handled by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Residential streets are plowed after four
inches of snow have fallen.
Ice cannot be plowed.
Salt, calcium chloride, brine and sand
are used to treat snow and ice. Salt and calcium
chloride melt snow and ice under most conditions but
lose effectiveness in extremely low temperatures.
Brine is a mixture of salt and water and
employed as a pre-treatment to help prevent snow and ice
from bonding to pavement. Brine can be applied as much
as three days before snow and ice is anticipated,
but rain will wash brine away.
The City of Columbus has six salt barns,
with total capacity of 30,000 tons. We used 26,109 tons
during the winter of 2008-09, which had 23.2 inches of
snow.
More than 110 Department of
Public Service equipment operators and support
personnel form the primary team known as the
Snow Warriors for treating snow and ice. The
support staff indoors includes laborers,
dispatchers and traffic-management specialists.
The Snow Warriors are backed up
by more than 45 equipment operators from other
city departments who have been cross-trained and
are on call around the clock. Private
contractors are brought in only after the
heaviest snow events and blizzards.
Weather prediction tools used include The
Weather Channel, National Weather Service,
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association
weather radar, meteorologists and Web sites
including
www.buckeyetraffic.org
from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Snow emergencies can also be
declared by the Mayor of Columbus. Information
and updates are available through the city’s
Service Center by calling 311 or (614) 645-3111.
You can get updates on our winter
weather efforts on Twitter:
There are typically between 25
and 50 separate snow events and an average of 24
inches of snowfall annually in Columbus.
Seventy-five percent of snow
generally falls after January 1 and fifty
percent after January 25.
Columbus has 227 square miles of
land area and an average snowfall of 24 inches.
Cleveland has 82 square miles and about 55
inches per year. Toledo’s numbers are 80 square
miles and 36 inches, and Cincinnati has 79
square miles and 16 inches.
The City of Columbus is responsible for
more than 2,053 linear miles of streets,
roughly the distance between Columbus
and Las Vegas.
Tips for Safer Mobility
in Winter
•Avoid
driving during storms if possible
•Drive
no less than 100 feet behind plow
trucks
•Be
prepared for sudden stops and
movements from plow trucks
•Avoid
passing plow trucks; snow equipment
drivers may not see you
•Follow
snow-emergency laws and parking
restrictions
•Park
vehicles in driveways and off
streets, if possible, to provide
room for plows and
salt trucks
•Shovel
your sidewalks, driveway aprons,
wheelchair ramps and
areas around
mailboxes
•Pile
snow in yards, not on streets, catch
basins and sidewalks
•Clear
snow from sewer and stormwater
drains to prevent flooding
after snow melts
•Apply
salt, sand or kitty litter on icy
steps and paths
Residents can contact the
City of
Columbus 311 Service Center to
learn where their street falls in the
city’s plans for plowing or salting.
Telephone 311 or (614) 645-3111, or send
e-mail to
311@columbus.gov.
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