Residents urged to prepare for winter weather
City pre-treating streets
By Gaille Pike
On Thursday, Jan. 22, public works crews in Hays crews are pre-treating roadways and loading sand spreaders in anticipation of the incoming winter weather system. The city’s Wednesday, Jan. 21 Newsflash urged residents to prepare for the inclement weather.
“The most helpful thing a resident can do right now is check their tire tread and plan for off-street parking,” Public Works Director Jesse Rohr said.
He explained that resident responsibilities also include verifying whether their home is on an Emergency Snow Route.
“If you are on a snow route, please locate an alternate site to park vehicles off the street,” said Rohr. By city ordinance, if a winter storm traffic emergency is declared and vehicles are not moved, the vehicles are towed at the owner’s expense.
Visit haysusa.com/402/Snow-Route-Information for emergency snow route maps.
“If you see a truck out today, they are likely prepping the surface. Pre-treatment helps prevent the ice from freezing directly to the asphalt, making it easier to scrape off later,” Rohr said.
Rohr also stated a frequent question asked following winter storms is why are major arterials cleared “curb-to-curb” while residential side streets are left unplowed.
“The decision to leave residential streets unplowed in all but the most severe events is a strategic one, centered on resident access and resource management,” he said.
He further explained the primary logistical challenge on side streets is snow storage. When a plow passes down a street, the snow is displaced to the side, forming a ridge known as windrow. On wide arterial roads, this snow is pushed to the shoulder. However, on residential streets, the snow is inevitably pushed across private driveways.
“If we were to plow every residential street for a standard 3-inch snowfall, we would create a 12-to-18-inch ridge of heavy, compacted snow across the end of every single driveway in town,” Rohr said, adding this often traps residents, particularly the elderly or those without heavy snow blowers, in their homes. “Leaving the snow to be packed down by traffic is often less disruptive to residents than blocking their driveways with plow debris.”
City crews monitor road conditions continuously. In the event of catastrophic accumulation, where snow depths render standard passenger vehicles inoperable, the city may declare a special operation to open residential lanes. However, for typical winter events, residents should expect side streets to remain snow-packed.
“Residents are encouraged to drive with caution on untreated surfaces and to schedule travel on major routes whenever possible,” said Rohr.