Supervisor discusses County's strategy for snow removal

RED OAK — The anniversary of the first of two Dec-ember blizzards passed last week in southwest Iowa, and the Montgomery County road crew is marking the occasion by reminding residents of their policies.
“(We) take our road clearing responsibilities very seriously,” supervisor Brad Skinn-er stated. “We realize many rural residents work in nearby towns and lost time on the job is a financial hardship for the family. Likewise, we realize that livestock farmers must have access to care for their animals on a regular basis.”
Covering 108 miles of paved road and 506 miles of gravel roads, Skinner said the County’s snow policy was adopted in December, 1996. In compliance with that policy, most snow clearing is done during the daylight hours, although crews still start just before dawn to get ahead of traffic and will respond to emergency situations as requested by law enforcement.
“County crews are staffed for one shift of full snow route coverage and do not work in rotating shifts the way that Iowa DOT and many city crews function,” Skinner said. “Given the size of the rural system and the isolated nature of many roads, the safest and most efficient operation is during the day.”
Skinner said the paved road system is plowed when one inch or more of snow has fallen, while it takes three inches of snow before the gravels are paved, assuming wind is not a serious problem.
The plows first assignment is top open the paved roadways and apply salt and sand to the surface. This application is generally done at intersections, curves and hills. Salt continues to be the most economical material available to restore safe driving conditions and is particularly effective when air temperatures warmer than 25 degrees. The material is never used on gravel roads since it would melt the base.
“The use of salt is limited, however, as increased usage leads to accelerated to deterioration of pavements,” Skinner said. “We strive for a balance between safe and convenient travel versus preserving the County’s investment in a long lasting pavement.”
In extreme winters, such as 2009-2010 when snow removal was 150 percent above average, the crews can work 12-16 hours a day for an entire month.
With a fixed staff level, Skinner said priorities are often evaluated. He said the first assignment for motorgraders is to open heavier traveled roads, followed by providing access from at least one direction to all residences.
After establishing two-way traffic on these roads, the connecting rock roads are cleared to provide more direct travel between destinations.
Dirt roads continue to be the lowest priority and generally are not cleared.
In the press release, Skinner also answer these frequently asked questions:
— What has the County done to prepare for winter snow removal? As part of its annual preparation, road salt was ordered for delivered in late summer; after the growing season ended for vegetation in the right of ways, the shoulders and foreslopes were mowed, to help reduce drifting of snow; in early November, all snow removal equipment was installed on trucks and motorgraders, and tested; windrows and loose surface rock was spread ove the rock roads to allow it to incorporate into the roadbed prior to freezing.
This minimizes the material lost during snow removal.
Why does it take so long to clear rock roads? Restoring access on rock roads is a slow process since the graders are not built for speed and a typical route covers from 60-80 miles of rock roads. Sometimes after a severe storm, it’s not possible to reach the remote homes until the second or third day. Home own ers are encouraged to plan accordingly for the winter season.
Why do they keep plowing my driveway shut? Un fortunately, this is due to the continuous operation of the plow. It’s necessary for the operator to push without stopping in order to complete the route in a timely manner. If we pause to clear each driveway, both momentum and time are lost.
The plow knocked down my mailbox. Will the County replace it? Generally, the County will only replace mailboxes where it can be determined that the equipment made physical contact with the mailbox. During wet snows, the plowing operations will often cast snow across the shoulder, which can break the weaker box supports. The County doesn’t compensate for that loss.
I’ve seen plow trucks on the road that sometimes aren’t spreading slat. Why don’t they since they’re there anyway? Salt doesn’t melt the ice, but does lower the freezing temperature of water. At critical temperatures, applying salt to roads packed with snow or ice may create worse problems by causing the snow or ice to “glaze” or form a slick shiny surface. Also, during windy storms, snow will often blow off a bare road, whereas salt will sometimes cause the snow to stick. We are careful with our material usage, typically we apply a mixture that is 20 percent salt mixed with sand.
Is there anything I can do to help with snow and ice operations? Yes. Hay bales sotred along the north or west right-of-way will cause drifting. If the bales were set back 300 feet, they would act as a snow fence and help protect the road. Snowfence is always helpful when properly placed. It should be located on the north or west side of the road, at least 50 feet back from the right-of-way. Removal of trees and hedges along the north and west sides of roads also helps address drifting concerns. During severe storms, it’s helpful if residents are patient and wait for the plow, as abandoned vehicles become a big problem.
How do we contact your department? The phone number is 623-5197 and regular hours of operation are 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. As long as roadways are passable, we will work regular hours and not work on the weekend. Following a snow storm, we will work overtime during the week and the weekend until access has been restored to homes and livestock.