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Snow Updates & Week of Dec. 1st

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Dear Neighbors,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and were able to relax and spend time with loved ones.

As many of you are likely already aware, we are expecting our first significant snowfall of the year over the next couple of days. So, I wanted to take a moment to share some more information on what to expect, how to best prepare for the snow, and steps that the city is taking to ensure we are ready.

If you are traveling this weekend, be sure to plan extra time for any driving delays and travel safe! As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

-Sean

Plowing Update:

City of Madison Salt Map

Forecasts show the snowstorm starting around midnight this evening (November 28th) and likely continuing through early Sunday morning.

Streets Division plows will be dispatched to the main thoroughfares at midnight tonight. The trucks will be plowing and salting these roads and will cycle through these routes repeatedly as snowfall continues.

The main thoroughfares include the roads used by Madison Metro for bus routes, as well as roads around hospitals, fire stations, police stations, and other important roadways.

Thirty-two plows will be dispatched to maintain 32 salt routes. It takes about 3 hours to perform one complete circuit. Like any other vehicle, plows are slowed by poor weather and traffic, so as conditions worsen their lap time also increases.

Residential Streets:

Madison streets are plowed when there is three or more inches of snow accumulated on the road and the storm is at or near its end.

All forecasts show the city hitting the snow depth threshold easily. But the exact timing of when citywide plowing will begin has not yet been determined.

Be sure to check the Streets Division website for more information on Saturday for when citywide and residential plowing will begin.

Leaf Collection Delay & Drop Off Site Closures:

The Streets Division is the agency that provides snowplowing for the City of Madison, as well as leaf pick up services and management of drop-off sites. Due to the impending snowy weather, the streets division has delayed leaf pick up for residents with a November 30th set-out date. Additionally, they have closed city drop-off sites on Saturday November 29th & Sunday November 30th.

Drop-off sites are expected to reopen for their posted hours on Monday, December 1st. The Olin Avenue location will be closed for the remainder of the winter.

If weather conditions permit, and the snowstorm response allows for personnel to be shifted away from those duties, we will resume leaf pick up for residents that had a November 30th set-out date.

Sidewalk Clearing Rules:

If you own your home or a business with a public sidewalk, it is your responsibility to keep any sidewalks along the property clear. If you rent your home, be sure to check your lease before it snows to see who is responsible for clearing the sidewalks.

Snow- and ice-covered sidewalks are a public safety hazard. That is why the City of Madison’s Building Inspection Division will not issue warnings before writing a citation for failure to remove snow or ice from a sidewalk in a timely manner.

City ordinances require all snow and ice be removed from a public sidewalk by noon (12:00pm) of the day after the snow stops. Failure to remove snow can result in a fine of at least $124.

Salt Use
Image credit: City of Madison Sustainability
Use only what you need. A 12-ounce coffee mug of salt is enough to treat 10 sidewalk squares. The right amount of salt looks like this:

Salt Use:

Winter salt is bad for our drinking water, groundwater, and the health of our lakes. Because of this, the city works to limit the amount of salt that is put onto the streets and encourages residents to limit the amount used on sidewalks.

You don’t need to use a lot of salt. A 12oz coffee mug is enough to salt ten sidewalk squares. When the temperature falls below 15º Fahrenheit, switch to sand as salt does not work at such low temperatures.

 

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

Announcements and News Releases

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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District 16 - Alder O'Brien

Portrait of Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
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