- Work in each council district to begin no later than midnight; although work to begin earlier this evening in some areas
- Contractors will be required to clear 16 foot path along 1884 miles of residential streets
- Work required to be completed withing 24 hours after crews hit the streets
- City asks residents to remove vehicles from street by 6PM if possible to allow contractors room to open path wide enough for 2-way traffic
DETROIT – The City of Detroit DPW has contacted its residential street plowing contractors and instructed them to begin plowing all residential streets beginning this evening, DPW Director Ron Brundidge said. The city has four contractors specifically assigned to each of the city's seven Council Districts. According to Brundidge, work in all districts must begin by midnight tonight, although contractors are likely to begin work in some areas earlier this evening.
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The purpose of the side street plowing is to make sure residents can get out of their neighborhood and to major roads, which are salted and plowed from curb-to-curb to accommodate safe travel at higher posted speeds. Under new guidelines announced last year, contractors now will be required to make two passes to clear a total width of at least 16 feet along the city's 1884 miles of residential streets Contractors are required to complete their work in each district within 24 hours of beginning.
For this snow event, this will be the lineup of contractors and the Council District for which they will be responsible:
- District One: Brilar Landscaping
- District Two: Jordan Landscaping
- District Three: Payne Landscaping
- District Four: Payne Landscaping
- District Five: Fontenot
- District Six: Jordan
- District Seven: Jordan Landscaping
Note: Residents are asked to wait until contractors have reported completing their work before reporting missed areas using the Improve Detroit app.
Parking Restrictions, Snow Emergencies & Requirements of Citizens
The effectiveness of the city’s residential snow clearing efforts will be enhanced if residents remove their cars from the street by 6 PM tonight - if off-street parking is available. “We know that parking on residential streets can be difficult after significant snow falls,” said Brundidge. “We don’t plan to tow vehicles, especially since on-street parking is the only option in some areas, so we are asking for resident’s cooperation. Once we activate the contractors, we are asking that residents find a way to park their car off the street if at all possible.”
Roadways that have been identified as snow emergency routes will have signs posted up to 48 hrs in advance to prohibit parking for the purpose of plowing. Residents will also receive notices for street clearing via the media, as well as the City of Detroit website and cable channels.
Residents and businesses are reminded that they are responsible for maintaining their sidewalks in a manner that makes it safe for pedestrians. Snow removal companies and property owners are prohibited from putting snow from their property onto public roadways.
Snow Clearing on Major Roads
Efforts to keep high priority major roads will begin once snow begins to cover the pavement. If there is less than three inches of snow, roads will be treated with salt to clear them and these major roads will be cleared within 24 hours of snow stopping. For accumulations of 3 inches or more, DPW crews use a combination of salting and plowing as needed until roads are clear and passable from curb-to-curb.
Bike Lanes: City has new equipment and new policy for snow removal
This year, the city has purchased skid-steers and implemented a new policy for snow removal within the city’s 50 miles of protected bike lanes.
- If there are three inches of snow or less, bike lanes will be salted as part of major street salting operations.
- If there is between three and six inches of snow, Bike lanes will be plowed and salted as needed; snow from bike lanes will either be pushed to the curb, or hauled away, depending upon the volume of snowfall
- If six inches of snow or more fall, bike lanes will be cleared within 48 to 72 hours after all vehicle travel lanes have been cleared of snow. Snow from bike lanes will either be pushed to the curb, or hauled away, depending upon the volume of snowfall
“Bike lanes have become an increasingly popular form of mobility throughout the year for a lot of people,” said Brundidge. “Since this will be our first time clearing snow from protected bike lanes on a large scale, we look forward to receiving feedback from the public to help us improve our process as we go along.”
For more information on the city’s snow removal policy, click here.