. . . Here are some winter maintenance ideas.

Pre-snow planning

Planning plow routes, setting priorities, and putting plans on paper makes you more efficient. It helps elected officials answer those inevitable constituent complaints.

Elkhorn’s [Wisconsin] street maintenance folks developed their plan seven years ago. They started with a simple plan from UW [University of Wisconsin]-Extension Engineering’s Snow and Ice Control course. It took about a week and a half of work to modify it for Elkhorn. The plan categorizes all streets as 1) priority (plowed first and maintained throughout the storm), 2) secondary and 3) neighborhood. To address citizen complaints about waiting to get plowed out, the plan has trucks start plowing from different points, rotating from storm to storm.

Each plowing route (with drawings) is in the office computer and in the truck. This makes it easy for a substitute driver to take over a route. While some routes look bigger than others, says Michael Early, Elkhorn’s Streets Foreman, they all take about the same plowing time. Road width and drifting make the difference.

The plan classifies snowstorms by type and tells what to do for each. It lists all the equipment and tells how to plow cul de sacs and remove windrows downtown. It lists dos and don’ts (like don’t help push out stuck cars) and what equipment a truck must carry as required by their insurance–fire extinguishers and safety kits, for example. The plan gives everybody guidance–bosses and drivers. And the insurance company loves it, Early says.

Each year streets administrators update the plan based on their experience and present it to elected officials. In fall they hold a half-day snow school and go over the plan with everybody–including backup drivers from other departments. All regular plow drivers drive the route before the first snow.

• Right turns clear streets faster Howie Krieski, Stevens Point’s superintendent of services, has developed a plowing plan in which his wingplow-equipped trucks make mostly right turns. The driver plows all the way around each block instead of straight across a section. “It saves time and clears the intersection with one pass by dumping the snow at the curb as it goes around the corner,” says Krieski. Since the method requires backing across streets, it is best used at night when there is little traffic or on lightly traveled streets.

• Training makes a difference Two-man plow teams and driving apprenticeships are history, thanks to tight budgets. And there’s only so much you can learn on a parking lot obstacle course. So how do you train new plow drivers? In Portage County all new drivers are accompanied by an experienced person for their first 40 hours behind the wheel. “Legally, if they have a CDL [commercial driver’s license] you can turn them loose,” says Dale Peterson, the county’s state patrol superintendent. “But there are a lot of little things that they need to learn through experience.” Things like: how fast to plow a shoulder, slowing down for bridges, how fast to drive while salting, and how to take the wind into account when salting.

  The two talk about the route and its problems. The experienced driver charts the trips and judges when the new driver is fit for duty. Peterson estimates that 40 hours equals 10 snowstorms. When staff levels and snow conditions permit, they assign the training crews to work straight time rather than overtime.

Plowing advice

Recent Winter Maintenance Workshop participants shared many good ideas about how to plow efficiently.

• Plowing cul de sacs Cul de sacs, with their many driveways and limited terrace space, are a plowing nuisance. In West Bend the city doesn’t plow them at all; private contractors do. They come in with loaders, which are more maneuverable than trucks, and mound the snow in the cul de sac’s center. When the piles get too high they truck the snow away. Contractors charge $75/hour and it takes them about 15 minutes to plow each of West Bend’s 65 cul de sacs, according to Streets Superintendent Richard Heisler.

  Plowing cul de sacs is easier in the Town of Vernon near Waukesha because mail and newspaper boxes are grouped at the entrance. “It gives us more room to move and store the snow and we don’t blow the boxes over with snow or the plow anymore,” says Lee Titze, town director of public works. Box placement is in the town’s subdivision code.

  Town of Vernon no longer plows private driveways except in extreme emergencies, Titze says. When there were more requests for the service than they could fulfill, the town quit doing it. The town newsletter let everybody know.

• Parked cars To deal with parked cars in the plow path, Titze has another trick. The town has no police department, but Titze can legally write citations. The town board approved ordinances against parking in snow routes, private plows leaving snow windrows in streets, garbage removal, and other nuisances, then deputized officials to enforce them.

  Ticket are $25. If they aren’t paid, the town asks WisDOT to restrict drivers license renewals or car registration. “I put 12 to 15 warning tickets on illegally parked vehicles at the beginning of every snow season,” says Titze. “And then usually I only have to give about one actual ticket.” Titze also has the authority to have the vehicle towed.

• Wing plows clear urban streets Although some people are still reluctant to use them, wing plows are working well on the urban streets of Stevens Point, West Bend and Portage County.

  “We bought our first one in 1987 and the operator reluctantly began to use it,” says Richard Heisler of West Bend. “He quickly began to see its benefits. Now all 17 patrol trucks are equipped with wings.” Drivers realized that the wings cut plowing time and made the job easier, especially in clearing intersections. West Bend’s efforts to level manholes also helped.

  In Stevens Point wings clear most city streets in two passes instead of three, says Howie Krieski. A fiberglass rod mounted on the wing end helps the drivers to judge its distance from the curb or parked cars. Point’s plow drivers also were reluctant at first. “Now you can’t get the wings away from them!” says Krieski. They don’t use the wings on the gravel streets till they are frozen, he says, to preserve the surface.

• Plowing shoes Portage County saves wear on wing blades and conserves gravel shoulders by fitting wings with commercially available plowing shoes. The $50 metal piece is bolted on the plow’s bottom to reduce pressure on the blade. “They are reasonably priced compared to the volume of shoulder gravel you would lose otherwise,” says Dale Peterson of Portage County. In West Bend they put protective shoes on the outside edge of the wing and both edges of the front blade. “The wear goes on the inexpensive shoe rather than on the moldboard plow,” says Richard Heisler.

• Underbody blades, pro and con Using underbody blades cuts salt use and gets slow-moving graders off the road, says Dale Peterson, state patrol superintendent for Portage County’s Highway Department. The extra downward pressure, compared to the front mount plows, helps them bite through the ice, he says. That pressure also wears the blades out so they have to be replaced after each storm, he admits. The county has underbody blades on five trucks used to maintain state highways and plans to put them to use on all major salt routes eventually.

  “They’re real ‘knee jammers,'” says Jim Harer, St. Croix County patrol superintendent. “They’re really only useful on one or two storms a year, and the rest of the time they add weight and bulk to the truck.” In his relatively rural county they prefer using graders with serrated blades to remove compacted snow and ice since salt sits in the grooves made by the blades and quickly cuts through to the pavement.

Spreading and wetting sand and salt

When people see sand on the roads, they can tell that maintenance is being done, says Jim Harer of St. Croix County. He uses sand mixed with 5% to 10% salt most of the time on county roads. The spreader located at the inside corner of the truck is set to turn very slowly. Traffic action quickly kicks the sand into the travel lanes. They spread the sand more widely on hills and curves and at intersections.

Automatic controls help Stevens Point drivers spread salt and sand more economically. “We’ve really noticed savings in our use of salt and sand,” says Howie Krieski. This is the fourth year they’ve used the controls on their trucks. While it took the drivers a while to get used to the new way of spreading, the better control is worth it.

Using pre-wetted salt along with the automatic spreaders makes salt use even more efficient, according to Portage County’s Dale Peterson. Wet salt sticks to the ice instead of bouncing into the ditch so trucks can drive faster while applying it. Wetted salt starts to work faster, and wetting it with calcium chloride helps it work better in colder temperatures.

They wet the salt in the loader bucket while loading the truck. On the newest equipment, truck-mounted brine tanks wet the salt as it leaves the chute. Peterson likes the new brine tanks because they are easy to clean after the storm.

Keeping storm records

So, how did yesterday’s plowing operation go? How many trucks were on the road? How long did it take to clear the roads? You’re so busy getting the job done, it can be hard to track the details. Yet, the public is interested and reporters often ask these questions. If serious accidents occur, this information will be helpful if a lawsuit develops. The data also can help with later snow plan reviews.

In Stevens Point they fill out a simple form after each storm event. It includes beginning and ending times for the storm and for plowing salt routes and regular routes, along with current and forecast temperatures, and whether salt or sand was used. There is also room to note any special occurrences.

Maintaining highways and streets in winter is hard work. It takes planning, innovation, training, and good management to meet the challenges of citizen expectations and tight budgets.

Fortunately, a lot of good ideas for better policies and better methods have been developed and used around Wisconsin. . . . Here’s a summary of ideas gathered this year [1997]. For even more good ideas, see [the article before this one taken from the Winter 1996 “Crossroads.”]

Policies and publicity

• Combining local newsletter articles with an ordinance prohibiting removal operators from pushing snow onto the roadway has helped curb the problem in Town of Washington [Wisconsin], says Administrator Michael Peterson.

• Appearing live on a local radio show, Richard County Commissioner John Huth informs citizens about safety around snow plows, timing of plowing operations, and how to make good winter driving decisions. The county’s patrol superintendent and one of the patrol truck drivers join Huth on the radio.

• Having a clear written policy has saved time for office staff who now receive fewer calls and complaints, says Charles Smrcka, streets foreman for the City of Rice Lake. Staff can also answer questions better and elected officials understand what’s happening.

• Policies needn’t be elaborate. Richard County’s is just two pages. In it are hours of operation (4 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and the statement, for liability purposes, that crews will cover all the roads in the county.

• Leave the shoulders white (with a small residue of snow) is in Adams County’s policy. Highway Superintendent Donald York says this helps protect gravel shoulders, especially in the fall and spring before the ground freezes.

• Owners of unsafe mailboxes routinely get notifications from Adams County, and City of West Bend refuses to replace mailboxes that were not installed according to the guidelines in the local ordinance.

• Prohibiting county equipment from towing private vehicles, and having a copy of the policy in the truck, lets the drivers blame “the bosses” for not helping friends or acquaintances in stranded vehicles. Towing is unsafe, says Portage County Patrol Superintendent Dale Peterson. Patrol trucks are not equipped to tow vehicles. Besides, their primary mission is to open the roads.

Equipment and methods

• Don’t skimp when you order patrol trucks, says Michael Peterson, Town of Washington administrator. A plow driver himself, he knows firsthand the safety benefits of such items as right-side power windows, and heated mirrors and wipers that clear fog quickly and prevent snow and ice buildup. On tri-axels he also specs engine “Jake” brakes and a steerable pusher axel.

  Interiors with fabric headliners cut down on noise and keep the cab warmer, and air ride seats provide comfort and support to the driver during those 16 to 20 hour plowing days. Air conditioning and stereo radios with tape decks are also standard equipment on patrol trucks. “These items added about $4000 to $94,000 cost of the newly ordered Ford L9000 Tri-Axel, 13-speed trucks,” says Peterson. “The additions also bring greater trade-in value.”

• Contracting out for graders and operators saves on capital costs and fringe benefits, says Jack La Plant, Green Bay’s streets superintendent. Some graders stay in the city equipment yard all winter while others stand by at the contractors. Payment is for actual hours worked, plus $150 a month for equipment parked on site. All contract operators have a CDL. They are paid to attend an evening safety and how-to session and to drive the route once in daylight before the first snowfall.

• Rental trucks haul snow from downtown areas in West Bend, says Street Superintendent Richard Heisler. Cul-de-sac plowing is also under contract, and drivers from other city departments help extend operations during continuing snowstorms.

• Naming each plow route after its regular driver promotes pride and ownership, says Stevens Point Street Superintendent Howard Kriewski.

• A written form for each plowing event records the equipment, driver and route when a backup driver plows a Stevens Point route. If someone complains, Kriewski checks the form and sends the responsible driver back to fix the problem.

• Snow plow “roadeos” help train drivers in Adams and Portage Counties, and they promote good public relations.

• Carbide tips on grader moldboards really cut into the ice, say Patrick Bonney, Ashland County’s patrol Superintendent and James Harer of St. Croix County. The “stingers” are individual tips costing about $11 each which fit into holders on a steel strip bolted on the moldboard in place of the blade. “We space them four inches apart for compacted snow and ice,” says Harer. “They also work to recycle old blacktop in summer.” The initial system costs about $3000 for a 14 foot moldboard. “It ends up being cheaper than blades,” Harer says.

• Prewetting salt with regular salt brine (23% solution) saves money and makes it easy to ensure a constant supply, according to Columbia County Assistant Commissioner Wayne Cornford. It doesn’t work as well as calcium chloride in colder temperatures, however.

• Dumping snow from downtown areas at approved sites keeps debris and contaminants out of waterways, says Rice Lake Streets Foreman Charles Smrcka. West Bend’s Richard Heisler reports they will be building a new snow dump site next year that was designed with the help of non-point source pollution specialists from DNR [Department of Natural Resources].

Plowing Don’ts

Don’t make these common mistakes when plowing:

• Plow too fast
• Throw snow over bridges onto traffic below
• Leave snow along center line, in intersections, on railroad tracks, or in places where it can melt back onto pavement
• Assume traffic knows what you are going to do
• Plow a false shoulder
• Plow off gravel
• Plow off salt before it works
• Plow against flow of traffic if it can be avoided

Watch What You Eat on Snow-Plowing Nights

Road crews often battle snow and sleet throughout the night, but usually for only a night or two. That means they are also battling sleepiness since their bodies are adjusted to the usual daytime shift. Sleepiness can be dangerous. At least 10,000 accidental deaths a year are sleep-related and 200,000 traffic accidents annually are due to driver fatigue.

Recent research on sleep deprivation shows that what you eat before and during nighttime work can affect sleepiness. Since the body slows down at night, it does not want to digest a donut, a “Big Mac,” or most other fast foods. Greasy, heavy, protein foods bring on sleep according to information in The Shiftworker’s Handbook.

Drivers can still enjoy eating, though. Take light, well-balanced meals and eat snacks that are compatible with slower, nighttime digestion.

• Main meal before night work (5:00-7:00 pm) Eat light protein foods like chicken, turkey, fish, or cooked beans and peas. Vegetables, fruit, breads, pasta and potatoes are good, as are low-fat milk, cheeses, and yogurt. If you’re planning to sleep before work, make this a lighter and smaller meal.

• Meals during breaks Eat soup and salad, soup and a light sandwich, or light protein foods and vegetables.

• Snacks before and during work Good snacks include low-fat dairy products, fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, cereal, plain cookies, pretzels, and baked crackers.

• Avoid caffeine and nicotine Coffee and tea contain caffeine; smoking and chewing tobacco contain nicotine. These are stimulants at first but soon become depressants. They make the heart beat slower.

• Do not consume alcohol before or during snow plowing operations