Section 4: Example: Lubbock District Plan
Anchor: #i1001051District Objective
- To keep all state roadways open and traffic moving during snow and ice events
- To warn motorists of hazardous conditions and minimize those hazards through the use of state resources
- To protect the state highway system through the timely removal of snow and ice.
District Guideline
Snowplowing operations will begin as soon as snow is of sufficient depth to plow, and continue until pavement is cleared. Ice control will begin as soon as temperatures fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit and moisture is present on pavement surface. Pre-treating is encouraged to prevent hazardous conditions if possible and should be implemented when ice and snow events are predicted. Supervisors should monitor the track of storms that are expected to bring winter weather to their area. When it becomes apparent that a storm event is inevitable all snow and ice control equipment should be mounted and made ready for a rapid response. Appropriate personnel should be placed on “On-Call” or “May-Call” status.
Anchor: #i1001082Planning for Snow and Ice Control
Each maintenance section should have a snow plow priority list that outlines which roadways are highest priorities and will be cleared of ice and snow first. These roadways will be designated as Priority 1 on the snow removal plan. Priority 1 roadways typically include known trouble spots such as steep grades, sharp curves, bridges, Interstate and US highways. Other types of roadways can be designated as Priority 1, but they should be primary routes and high volume roadways.
Priority 2 roadways will be cleared second, and typically include state highways and high volume farm-to-market roads. Priority 3 roads will be cleared of snow third and normally include low volume farm-to-market roads. Keep in mind that some communities depend on farm-to-market roads as their primary route connecting to larger cities with emergency facilities such as hospitals. These farm-to-market roads may have low traffic volumes, but may require a higher priority to maintain emergency routes to these communities.
Maintenance sections should also consider planning equipment and manpower assignments to be activated during a general snowfall event. Maintaining these assignments for the duration of any particular storm may not be possible, but there are benefits to a planned approach. First, operators become familiar with a route and a piece of equipment. This can be a benefit during night operations, blowing snow and other low-visibility conditions. Second, dispatching can be expedited, and done without a supervisor giving out assignments each time. It is also recommended that supervisors pre-determine work crews if shift work becomes necessary during an extended storm event. Work crews should be a mix of experienced and inexperienced crew members.
Anchor: #i1001103Resource Preparation
Prior to the first anticipated freeze date, time should be set aside to ensure all resources are prepared to respond to a snow or ice event. There are three areas of preparation that are vital to the ability of a crew to respond appropriately to a storm:
- Equipment - All equipment should be thoroughly inspected and operated to ensure it is in proper working order. Items of special concern are electrical and hydraulic components that are subject to deterioration and corrosion during the summer months of non-use. A reasonable supply of replacement parts such as rocker switches, hydraulic hoses, casters, bearings, rubber and steel snow plow blades should be kept in stock.
- Materials - All necessary material that may be needed to control snow and ice should be ordered, tested, and stored prior to the first anticipated freeze date for each county.
- Personnel - It is recommended that a safety meeting be devoted to training new personnel and refreshing experienced snow removal equipment operators. Personnel should also be informed of normal operating procedures during a snow or ice storm.
Reporting Procedures
It is the responsibility of the maintenance section supervisor or his designee to contact the district maintenance administrator by phone or pager when snow or ice control measures begin. The attached list (not reproduced here) contains the primary and secondary contacts, and their phone numbers or pager numbers. Notification should be made at any time, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The information you provide on the Highway Condition Reporting System and on the information request from the maintenance office are extremely important not only for the traveling public, but also from an operations standpoint and for answering media requests. HCR sign-on keys should be verified as “Active” for each maintenance employee who has reporting responsibilities (primary and back-up). It is important to keep a dispatcher on duty as a contact point for information requests, and for the safety of the crewmembers.
Anchor: #i1001140Road Closures
It is part of the Lubbock District’s objective to keep all state roads open to the traveling public. In the event that local authorities request that a state-maintained roadway be closed, the following procedures shall be used:
- The roadway closure request must come from local or state law enforcement authorities. The Maintenance Section Supervisor should explain that TxDOT’s objective is to keep our roadways open and passable. It should be explained to the authority requesting the closure that if the roadway is closed, the responsibility for posting personnel at barricades will become the requesting authority’s. The only exception will be in situations when the Maintenance Section Supervisor, the Area Engineer and the District Maintenance Administrator agree with the closure. If the Maintenance Section Supervisor, the Area Engineer and the District Maintenance Administrator conclude that a road should be closed, maintenance section personnel can support the closure with barricades and flagmen.
- The closed roadway should begin and end within city limits or at major intersections to ensure motorists are not stranded within the limits of the closed roadway.
- The roadway should continue to be patrolled, plowed and salted by maintenance section personnel according to established priorities and with the goal of reopening the roadway as soon as possible.
- The road closure should be noted on HCR and removed when the roadway is reopened.
- A roadway should only be closed as a last resort. Additionally, a roadway should only be closed whenever it becomes impossible to keep the roadway passable.
- When plowing the roadway, windrows of snow should not be left at railroad grade crossings. After plowing, the railroad track should be cleaned of the snow pack, ice, gravel or dirt. Snowplow operators should be instructed to open side road approaches that may be obstructed by windrows of snow. Failure to maintain access to side road approaches may effectively cut-off the movement of traffic onto state highways.
Coordinating Snow Removal Operations
The maintenance section supervisor is responsible for activating emergency procedures within his section. Snow removal and ice control take precedent over all other maintenance operations during a snow event. Often during snow removal operations it becomes necessary to move manpower and equipment from one supervisor’s area to another. The district maintenance administrator should be contacted to coordinate the movement of equipment from one area to another. This allows a district-wide coordination effort and a district-wide tracking effort of where the equipment and manpower are located. If a maintenance section receives a request for TxDOT to assist with the removal of snow or ice on off-system roadways, the maintenance section supervisor should follow established procedures for this type of request (see attached flow chart – not reproduced here).
Anchor: #i1001191Safety and Training
The safety of all crew members and the traveling public is the highest priority during a snow or ice storm. Maintenance section supervisors are responsible for the proper safety training of all crew members. Work during periods of snow and ice is by nature a potentially hazardous operation. Maintenance section supervisors and the district maintenance administrator should evaluate the potential risk or benefit of the snow removal and conduct snow removal or ice control operations accordingly. The local maintenance section supervisor will be responsible for determining when an employee is to be relieved. The maintenance section supervisor shall immediately relieve any employee that notifies him that he is in need of relief. Employees are expected to be honest in their assessment of their ability to continue to work safely, prior to beginning and for the duration of snow removal operations. Employees should communicate periodically with the dispatcher during operations and relay their location especially when changing roads.
Anchor: #i1001201After the Storm
After the storm event, attention should be given to re-stocking de-icing material, re-stocking equipment parts and supplies, equipment maintenance, repair and cleanup. Intersections and bridges that have been heavily treated with ice control material should be swept and excess material removed. Supervisors should evaluate all aspects of the storm event and make any necessary corrections to ensure that the same mistakes do not happen during the next storm event.