Show All Answers

1. When will my road be plowed?

The Town does not have sufficient equipment and operators to plow all roads at once. The Town’s 1st priority is the plowing of major arterial roads. These are defined as roads that carry the majority of the traffic and connect major sections of the Town to provide emergency access for fire, police, and medical services.

It takes 2-3 hours to plow the major arterial roadways once. Depending upon the time of day and storm conditions, it may be necessary to plow them multiple times resulting in plows remaining on the major arterial roads for extended periods of time. Once the major arterial roadways are completed, plowing will begin on the Town’s residential streets. It takes approximately 4-5 hours to plow all residential streets once.

2. Why does a street right next to my street get plowed first and the snow plow does not come back until hours later to plow my street?

Some residential streets contain steep grades or other conditions that make them more difficult to navigate under storm conditions. For safety reasons, these streets are assigned a higher priority similar to that assigned to major arterial roadways.

3. Why does the snow plow leave snow that blocks my driveway?

Plow operators do not intentionally block driveways. It is not practical for plow operators to lift their plows at every driveway as it would leave large piles of snow in the roadway at every driveway. Tip: When possible, clear your driveway after the plow has gone by. When clearing your driveway, try to pile the snow on the right side, (standing in your driveway and looking at the street). This can help reduce the amount of snow that is pushed into your driveway when a plow passes.

4. Why do the snowplows sometimes come by a second time and leave a windrow of snow on the end of my driveway after I’ve already shoveled it?

The width of some Town roadways requires more than one pass in each direction to fully clear the roadway. To ensure that plowing operations keep pace with snow accumulations during heavy snowfall, roadways are cleared only to the necessary width to allow vehicles to safely pass. This will require that the plow return to these roadways as time permits to make additional passes to fully clear the roadway. Depending upon the storm, this may not take place until the day after the storm.

5. Does the Town have a bare road and sidewalk policy?

While we strive to keep roadway and sidewalk surfaces as clear as possible of ice and snow, the Town does not have a bare surface policy. The management philosophy of our snow and ice removal plan is based upon a balance of the basic principles of public safety, cost containment, and environmental sensitivity. We recognize that the public safety of our residents, guests, and travelers is paramount.

At the same time however, we acknowledge that the community has financial limitations which ultimately shape the level of service that is provided. Finally, we understand the environmental impacts from the use of salt and sand in a lake shore community, and strive to limit these factors through our snow and ice removal program.

6. Why does my lawn get damaged by the sidewalk plow and will the Town repair it?

While operators strive to minimize lawn damage, some degree of damage is inevitable. While the sidewalk plows are designed for sidewalk plowing, including the width of the plows, keeping them in a perfectly straight line is challenging even for the most experienced operator. Deep snow along with poor visibility often makes it difficult for the operator to see the edge of the sidewalk.

In some cases, sod grows over the edge of the sidewalk resulting in damage even when the plow is completely on the sidewalk. When the turf is frozen, damage is minimized. When it is not frozen during the early stages of the winter, damage can be significant. The Town will repair any damage to lawns caused by the sidewalk or snowplows. A work order will be created and the damage will be repaired in the spring.

7. Are gravel roads treated any differently than paved roads?

Yes. Salt cannot be applied to dirt roads as it will cause them to thaw and become soft in the winter. At the very beginning of a storm, salt is applied to the major arterial roadways to reduce the rate of accidents and to prevent the snow from bonding to the pavement. In order to do this within 2-3 hours, it requires the use of all of the Town’s primary plow trucks. Once the asphalt roads are complete the driver will return to the public works garage to change the load to sand at which point the plow driver will begin plowing and sanding the gravel roads.

8. Does the Town apply salt or sand to town sidewalks?

No. Salting and sanding of sidewalks would require a significant investment in additional equipment. While the Town has sidewalk tractors, it does not currently own the additional equipment needed for spreading salt and sand. This process also requires significantly more staff time than what the Town has available to both spread the material after each storm, and then clean up the material in the spring time. While the Town sees value in this type of a program, this service cannot be provided within the current levels of funding provided.

9. Who do I contact with other snow plowing concerns, questions, or to report damage?

During normal business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, call the Public Works Department at 802-264-5620. After hours calls may be directed to the non-emergency line of the Colchester Police Department at 802-264-5556. On call public works supervisors will be contacted if it is an emergency situation that requires an immediate response.

Otherwise these calls will be deferred until the next regular business day. You may also find the answers to other questions you may have within our Snow and Ice Removal Plan.