SNOW AND ICE CONTROL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES 2014-2015 Winter Season Updated: October 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 Overview .................................................................................................................................. 3 Section 2 Equipment ................................................................................................................................. 4 Ice Control and Snow Removal Equipment (Table 1) .............................................................. 5 Section 3 Personnel .................................................................................................................................. 6 Section 4 Materials ................................................................................................................................... 6 Section 5 Procedures ................................................................................................................................ 7 Operating Procedure - Ice ......................................................................................................... 7 Operating Procedure - Snow ..................................................................................................... 8 Appendices A Sanding Route Map B Anti-Icing Priority List (Bridges and Roads)
2
Section 1
OVERVIEW The Department of Public Works provides snow and ice control for the City under policy PWK 06.06.01, Snow and Ice Control. The policy was developed to provide our citizens with a reasonable level of mobility during adverse weather conditions. The snow and ice control program recognizes that resources must be balanced by the value of snow and ice control as compared to the entire street maintenance program. The City does not provide snow and ice control for sidewalks or other public walkways. Snow and ice control for these areas is the sole responsibility of the abutting property owner. The snow and ice control program is comprised of various pieces of equipment, manpower assignments, selection of appropriate materials, and a procedure for implementation. Each component of the plan will be addressed in the following sections. Beginning the winter season of 2002-2003, Public Works implemented an anti-icing program to augment its traditional snow and ice control practices. Anti-icing is the practice of preventing the formation of bonded snow and ice by timely applications of a chemical freezing-point depressant. Anti-icing is well suited to routes with a higher level of service. The preventive nature of antiicing can also support higher service level objectives such as maintaining bare pavement throughout a storm or returning to bare pavement as soon as possible following snow pack formation. As a positive consequence, anti-icing has the potential to increase traffic safety at a low cost, and expeditiously as weather improves. Since the implementation of this practice, Public Works has observed improved driving surfaces in areas where the product was applied. Public Works will continue to evaluate emerging anti-icing alternatives with a primary focus of improving driving conditions to the maximum extent practical during storm events while attempting to use environmentally conscious products.
3
Section 2
EQUIPMENT See Table 1 below for a list of equipment, appurtenances, and their primary use. Sanding – City Wide The City maintains six (6) truck mounted sand spreaders for use in snow and ice control. All sanders are on stands to expedite installation (approximately 30 minutes) into the dump body of the trucks. Two of the six truck mounted spreaders were added in 2008 for use with 2-yard dump trucks listed in Table 1 below. Their primary use is to serve as back up sanding equipment when the larger sanders are unavailable due to maintenance or repair, and improve sanding service of residential streets and arterial intersections which don’t normally received immediate attention. Sanding – Lake Whatcom Watershed The City is dedicated to reducing phosphorus loading to Lake Whatcom. In order to assist in the reduction of phosphorus to the lake, only a minimal amount of sanding (if any) occurs on streets within the watershed. Primarily, the City will use anti-icing agents to reduce and remove snow and ice accumulation on roads (see information below about the products used). The current antiicing agents have been evaluated and determined to be extremely low (less than 5 PPM) in phosphorus, and during field trials in 2008 appeared to be a very effective means of snow and ice control. In addition, 100% salt will also be utilized on watershed streets as it too is very low in phosphorus and is a reasonable priced alternative. Plowing When conditions warrant, plows are installed on the three larger trucks to move snow from the traveled roadway. Average time to install a plow is approximately 30 minutes. A small truck mounted plow is also available for use with a 2-yard dump truck listed in Table 1 below. Its primary purpose is consistent with the large trucks, but also allows for plowing of various residential streets currently not easily accessed by the larger plows. It also serves to assist in clearing public parking lots and Central Business District (CBD) snow removal. Anti-Icing The City has two pieces of equipment for this task. One is a 1000-gallon truck-mounted dispenser for anti-icing chemical application. This tank is mounted on a 5-yard dump truck and distributes anti-icing product onto city streets and bridges utilizing spray nozzles. The second piece of equipment is a 450-gallon truck-mounted dispenser that is mounted into the bed of a 2-yard dump truck. This unit is used primarily in the watershed as a replacement for a conventional sander truck as sand is no longer used in the sensitive watershed areas as mentioned above.
4
Table 1
PRIMARY EQUIPMENT
Ice Control and Snow Removal Equipment Equip. Number
Make
Description
3040
International
10-yd dump truck
3039
International
10-yd dump truck
3016
International
12-yd dump truck
3046
International
3013
Ford
3014
Additional Equipment (Vehicle Attachments)
Primary Use
Swenson 7-yd sand/salt spreader 11' side-cast plow Swenson 7-yard sand/salt spreader 11' side-cast plow Swenson 4.3-yard sand/salt spreader 11' side-cast plow
Sanding/Plowing arterials, bus routes, and emergency needs
5-yard dump truck 2-yard dump truck (4x4)
1000-gallon anti-icing applicator Monroe 2.6-yd sand/salt spreader 9' adjustable V-plow
Ford
2-yard dump truck (4x4)
Monroe 2.6-yd sand/salt spreader
3018
Ford
3019
Ford
3010
Isuzu
Monroe 1.8-yard sand/salt spreader 450-gallon anti-icing applicator
7017
John Deere
2-yard dump truck 2-yard dump truck 2-yard flat bed Front End Loader
Distribution of antiicing product Sanding intersections on arterial and bus routes, emergency requests Sanding intersections on arterial and bus routes, emergency requests Salt spreading in CBD
7004
Volvo
L70D Front End Loader
Equipment available from Other Divisions Water
Sewer
Storm
1 backhoe 3 2-yd dump trucks 2 5-yd dump trucks 1 12-yd dump truck 1 backhoe 2 5-yd dump trucks 1 2-yd dump truck 1 backhoe
5
Sanding/Plowing arterials, bus routes, and emergency needs Sanding/Plowing arterials, bus routes, and emergency needs
Distribution of antiicing product Can be used for hand sanding Located at Pacific Street. Used for loading sand/salt Back-up loader, downtown snow removal
Section 3
PERSONNEL The entire manpower resources of the Street Division, as well as the Stormwater Division, are available for snow and ice control. The 2014-15 authorized manpower levels for these two divisions is 21 full time employees (FTE’s), including two supervisors and the superintendent. Normal operating procedures for the Department has one person assigned to a night shift that begins at 11:00 p.m. and ends at 7:30 a.m., Sunday night through Thursday night. The remainder of the Division works from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with personnel available for after hour calls, seven days a week. The night shift personnel usually operates a street sweeper, but during storm events he/she will often patrol to determine if snow or ice control equipment is necessary and to insure proper operation of the drainage system. During freezing fog, frost, or snow conditions, the night shift person will operate a sander or anti-icing equipment as necessary and make recommendations as to when/if additional manpower or equipment is required based on weather and driving conditions. Based upon first hand reports, observations of current weather, and forecasts of future weather patterns, the Street supervisor makes determinations as to the appropriate course of action for each snow and ice event. During major events, manpower is reassigned to provide 24-hour coverage, seven days a week, if necessary. Additional manpower can also be obtained from other divisions of Public Works Operations to supplement the Street and Stormwater Divisions.
Section 4
MATERIALS Three major materials are used in snow and ice control; coarse sand, salt, and anti-icing agent. These materials are stockpiled in advance of an event and are immediately available when needed and stocks are replenished between events. Coarse sand is used as a traction aid, salt and antiicing agents are used to expedite the melting of snow and ice from the street surface and also to keep the ice from forming a bond to the street surface. Traditional sand tends to be round in nature and has a tendency to be blown to the edges of the travelled way by traffic, rendering it ineffective. The coarse sand used by Public Works is typically a 1/4” fractured rock. The sharper edges on this material bite into the snow and tends to stay in place better when placed on the road surface. There is still the susceptibility of product movement to the road edges, unfortunately. Salt is added to the sand to help break up the compacted snow and expedite the melting process. The mixture is roughly 80% sand to 20% salt by volume. The salt lowers the freezing point of snow and ice, enhancing the breakup of bonded ice during extended periods of cold temperatures and accelerating the snow melt as the temperatures begin to rise. During the cold temperatures the salt tends to turn the compacted snow and ice into a looser mixture that holds the sand and wont refreeze, providing a more tractive surface for drivers.
6
Salt and anti-icing liquids are effective tools to use against snow and ice formation in our normally encountered temperature range. If the temperature gets to cold both products lie "dormant" and as the temperatures rise, the products begin to do their job. They both act as a freezing point depressant, basically allowing water to attain a temperature below the normal freezing point of 32 degrees F before it freezes and forms into ice, akin to anti-freeze in a vehicles engine. In the Central Business District (CBD), straight salt is usually applied to the streets to help limit pedestrian track-in of sand into local area businesses. The anti-icing product is stored in two 5,150-gallon tanks located at the City’s vactor waste facility at 2140 Division Street. Whenever possible, the anti-icing product is applied to the roadway prior to accumulation of snow to prevent compacted snow from bonding to the roadway surface, and also used when heavy frost or black ice is expected to be an issue for commuters. Rain and wet conditions reduce the efficiency of the anti-icing product as this added water dilutes the product, reducing its ability to lower the freezing point. Rain can be a tricky factor in determining the use of anti-icing agents as most of our storm events are preceded by precipitation. Putting down anti-icing agents in wet environments reduces their usefulness and can be a waste of resources if it is washed off the roadways. Since 2002, the City has maintained its efforts to use environmentally friendly anti-icing products, especially in the Lake Whatcom watershed. The City utilizes "Calcium Chloride with Boost," which is considered to have limited environmental impact and is the most widely used product in Washington State.
Section 5
PROCEDURES The standard operating procedures for snow and ice control are as follows: OPERATING PROCEDURE - ICE: a) Anti-Icing: In order to successfully and efficiently prevent the formation of an ice/pavement bond, the Street Supervisor must ensure the proper timing of the application of anti-icing product. This is not an easy task. It requires foresight in decision making, that available information sources be used methodically, and that operations be anticipatory or prompt in nature. In short, it requires a systematic approach utilizing all available resources to determine the most effective time for putting down the anti-icing material. A priority route for the application of the anti-icing material has been adopted. This includes major hills, transit bus routes, and bridges within the City Limits (refer to attached Anti-icing priority list for specific locations). The Street Supervisor will make the determination of when and where to apply anti-icing product directly to the pavement surface in order to prevent formation of an ice/pavement bond. b) Sanding: During the winter season icing normally occurs during the early morning hours. The night sweeper operator is available Sunday through Thursday to handle icing conditions. This will normally consist of spreading a sand/salt mixture on icy surfaces utilizing one of the six available sanders. When icing occurs, the night sweeper and/or 7
Post Point personnel will notify one of the Division supervisors, who will inspect the situation and make a determination if and when additional employees should be called out to begin sanding, salting or anti-icing. Priority routes will be followed, with the first priority being major arterials and transit bus routes (See attached maps of Priority routes). These routes are laid out in advance, and will be followed unless an emergency situation arises. Emergency situations will be determined by Fire, Ambulance, or Police Supervisors, in conjunction with the Street Supervisor in charge. As time and/or conditions permit, other areas may be sanded.
OPERATING PROCEDURE - SNOW: a) Anti-icing: When snow conditions are expected, the Street Supervisor will make the decision as to the commencement of 24-hour operations as listed above. The Street Supervisor will make the decision on when and where anti-icing products are to be applied. Priorities for anti-icing operations are major arterials, transit routes, and bridges. b) Sanding: When snow conditions exist, the Street Supervisors will be notified by either the night sweeper operator or Post Point personnel. The Supervisor will make the decision as to when crews will be called in to begin sanding, and determine if 24-hour operations are necessary. If 24-hour operations are necessary, the assigned crews will be divided into three 8-hour shifts, and will operate accordingly until the storm event is past. Other Public Works Operations personnel may be called to operate additional equipment and/or sand by hand, as needed. Any 24-hour operation will be considered an emergency and other appropriate policies will be followed. Priority routes will be followed, with the first priority being major arterials and transit bus routes (See attached maps of priority routes). These routes will be followed unless an emergency situation arises. Emergency situations will be determined by Fire, Ambulance, or Police Supervisors, in conjunction with the Street Supervisor in charge. As time and/or conditions permit, other areas will be sanded. c) Plowing: Due to the many micro-climates in the Bellingham area, snow plowing needs can vary from one area to another. Plows are mounted on the trucks at the beginning of any snow events. Plowing commences along the routes when there is enough accumulation to warrant removal and prevent damage to the equipment. Four trucks are outfitted with plows and the task of clearing the road surface is greatly enhanced if the snow can be pushed to the edges of the road before traffic compacts it into ice and it bonds to the road surface. Drifting snow which normally occurs in the northern region of the City where northeast winds prevail can pose hazards that requires earlier plowing then other areas. Snow will be plowed to the edges of the roadways. Four-lane roads will initially have only one lane plowed in each direction, usually the curb lane as this is the lane used by buses and is the lane that the motoring public is supposed to travel in except when passing. Upon completion of a route, additional lanes may be opened or as conditions 8
warrant. Public Works crews WILL NOT open up sidewalks or driveways. Side street entrances will be opened only after the priority routes are completely plowed. Initial priority routes consist of major arterials and transit bus routes. These routes are laid out in advance, and will be followed unless an emergency situation arises. Emergency situations will be determined by Fire, Ambulance, or Police Supervisors, in conjunction with the Street Supervisor in charge. As time and/or conditions permit, other areas may be plowed. There are no plows exclusively assigned to the Central Business District (CBD). In a major snowfall situation, all plows will begin operation on bus routes in the CBD and branch out to their respective areas of operation from that point. d) Snow Removal: Snow removal will be addressed when snowfall has accumulated to a depth that seriously and unreasonably hinders traffic for prolonged periods on the major transportation routes. Snow removal will mainly occur in the CBD where curbside parking and pedestrian movement makes plowing to the edge of the travel way undesirable. Snow removal will be executed by plowing the snow to the center of the street and subsequently removed by front-end loader and dump truck and transported to a disposal site. This activity will require equipment and possibly manpower from non-city sources and is a high-cost activity. A declaration of emergency is anticipated in order to implement snow removal. Difficulty is not anticipated in obtaining the necessary equipment since deep snow would likely shut down private contractor operations, making their equipment available.
9
ZANDER DR
Sanding Routes
PATTON RD
NETTLE LN
KELLY RD
NOON RD
WAY RSON
RD
WAY BRA YS
W EY Y
HAGGIN RD
ST E 17TH CR
SYLVAN ST
ACADEMY ST
CORONADO AVE
LAKEVIEW ST
EUCLID AVE
Legend
WALL ST
LOWE AVE
PARKSTONE LN
ORIENTAL AVE
YORK ST
AUSTIN ST
ELE
T
NS
GENEVA ST
E IC A V
N FLY
CT R
E BIRCH ST
BIRCH ST
ST
TOAD LAKE RD
CINDY LN
BRITTON RD
HW R KE BA
CHANDLER
VINING ST
ROLAND ST
KENOYER DR
LAHTI DR
CRESTLINE DR
ST CLAIR ST HURON ST ERIE TER ERIE ST
NEWMARKET ST
VALENCIA ST
W AY
1-C Blue
ET R D
2 CBD
YEW STRE
3-A Green
3-B Green A DR
3-C Green 4-A Red
4-B Red
4-C Red
5-B Secondary (Salt) Interstate 5
TOWER-3000 RD
5-A Primary (Deicer and Salt)
DR
RD
FIE LD
Area Drains to Whatcom Creek 2000
GE
Lake Whatcom Watershed
TOW E R-
ISH RD
PKWY
M T
IRON GATE RD
40TH ST
40TH PL
36TH ST
WILKIN ST
DALE RD
N
COUGAR RD
HAMMER DR KRAMER L
ORLEANS ST
NEVADA ST
T
LN S
LINC O
CALIFORNIA ST
W HA
AY KW
WELLING RD
1-B Blue
BASS ST
ED
ID E
1-A Blue
DR
FAIRHAVEN AVE
OLD SA M
R
WOODBINE WAY
PALMER RD
BROAD ST
BO
SANDSTONE W AY
T
37TH ST
33R D
30TH ST
34TH ST
32ND ST
27TH ST
26TH ST
IZA C
WOBURN ST
KING ST
HUMBOLDT ST
36TH ST
38TH ST
E COLL
S COLLEGE DR
25TH ST
24TH ST
21ST ST
22ND ST
ST
DR D
LA N
20T HS
T
HI GH
18TH ST
17TH ST
EGE WA Y
LN ST RE
17TH ST
14TH ST
S
10TH ST
12TH ST
11TH ST 6TH ST
8TH ST
4TH ST
PKWY
DS
LN SPRINGLAND E OREGON ST ILLINOIS LN
SAN JUAN BLVD
A TE
BAYSIDE RD
BR
DUMAS AVE
W OO
Routes
O PR
VIEWC REST RD
RD
HAVEN
ST
BRIAR RD
10,000 Feet
EN
DONOVAN AVE
TH 16
RD
C
BYRON AVE
Y H WA
7,500
£ ¤
OLD FA IR
LM BIL
P
LD
NA DO
Y KW
AR
ST
SAMIS
5,000
·
15TH ST
ST AT E
1,250 2,500
ST
FO
0
11
W WILLO
LIN D
KNOX AVE
MILL AVE
POTTER
LAKEWAY DR N IA ST D N T I S D ST ST AR IGH Y E G H E T K A N ST ST ST N N O IS S T A O M
EN
HARRIS AVE
FRASER ST YORK ST
YEW ST
ST
ROMA RD
PORTAL DR
ST
ST
NEW TON ST
ST
LR E R AI R FO N
K
TOLEDO ST
Y LL
ST
R
GOVERNOR RD
O O
AD
E AV
ALABAMA ST TEXAS ST CAROLINA ST
IOWA ST
OHIO ST
YO
H
ST
E ILLINOIS ST
PUGET ST RACINE ST W RACINE ST
W
C
DE
AV E KI NG
LL AVE ST
RD
DR
G
E
ST T T S D BS
F
ST
ST
IRON ST
ST
H
FRANKLIN ST
AV J E
T
IS
J
AT E
RE
ER
E ORCHARD DR
E MARYLAND ST
AG
HO
COHO
MONROE ST
DIVISION ST
WOODSTOCK WAY SQUAL DR ICUM P ET S KWY UN ES DR BARKLEY BLVD TH OU
S PARK DR
ST
MIDWAY LN
NIAGARA DR
RO ED
YM PL
R RD
£ ¤
HS RT NO
EA VE
VICTOR ST
IDG
WAY
EL DR
LYNN ST
N
WEST ST
BT CL
UTTER ST
W ILLINOIS ST
ELM ST
DR
CORNWA
CEDARWOOD AVE
VALLETTE ST
S
WALNUT ST
QU
Y WA
M ICU AL
E BAKERVIEW RD
R
VE TA
BENNETT DR
E AV
E
W ORCHARD DR
542
ICKE
ROSS RD
LD EL ID
D
IN
BIRCHWOOD AVE
E MCLEOD RD
BAKER ST
ES HW RT NO
O
M AR
MCLEOD RD
COTTONWOOD AVE
D
GRANT ST
O W LE AP
ALDERWOOD AVE
R
48TH ST
M CHERRYWOOD AVE
K
TELEGRAPH RD
CORNWALL AVE
W MCLEOD RD
C
M AM
AC
JAMES ST
D
DEEMER RD
LY R
MERIDIAN ST
VE TA
ELIZA AVE
ER
HUNS
CHANCE RD
PALISAD E WAY
ES HW RT NO
WE ST
E KELLOGG RD
VINING RD
539
£ ¤
VAN WYCK RD
MOE N
VD A L BL FESTIV
E STUART RD
JUNE RD
HOME RD
VAN WYCK RD
HANNEGAN RD
R AIRPORT DR
VACCA LN
W HORTON RD E HORTON RD THOMAS RD
LARRABEE RD
HUNTLEY RD
ANDE
STERK LN
TREMONT AVE
MICHIGAN ST
Y CORDATA PKW
TD
ES HW RT NO
ALDRICH RD
KLINE RD
VAN WYCK LN
HACKETT RD
E 3RD RD
SLATER RD
GILLIAM DR
FAT DOG LN
LANGE RD
November 2013 - Author: JSH, updated by JS GIS/Technical Services, Public Works N:\ArcGIS\Projects\Street\SandingRoutes11x17.mxd
Appendix B Anti-Icing Priority List (Bridges and Roads)
11
