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<br />12 <br /> <br />SNOWPLOWING FAQ <br /> <br />Q. What kind of equipment does the city use for <br />snowplowing? <br /> <br />A. Currently the City of Ramsey has the following equipment: <br />2 motor graders <br />4 single axle trucl<s equipped with front plows, winds <br />and sanders <br /> <br />1 front-end loader equipped with a front plow and wing <br />7 picl<-up trucl<s with plows (used mainly on cul-de- <br />sacs and parl<ing lots) <br /> <br />This equipment is used to clear approximately: <br />150 miles of road <br />240 cul-de-sacs <br /> <br />720 intersections and numerous parlcing lots, ice sl<ating rinl<s, <br />and trails <br /> <br />Public worl<s staff members are on call 24 hours per day, 7 <br />days a weel< to mal<e City of Ramsey roads as safe as <br />possible. <br /> <br />Q. How does public works determine when to start plowing? <br /> <br />A. The City contracts with a private weather service to give us <br />frequent forecasts during snowstorms. This service combined <br />with Internet websites, MnDOT forecasts, and local TV / <br />radio information all help us plan for the approaching storm. <br />Two inches of snow is our normal trigger point, but may vary <br />due to conditions. Ideally, we as a department prefer to <br />start at 2:00 a.m. The reason being the roads are clear of <br />most cars and pedestrians at that time of the morning and <br />crews can worl< without much interference. This plan worl<s <br />well if the snow total ends up in the 2"- 4" range. In larger <br />snowfall events we l<eep trucl<s out clearing" main" routes <br />so emergency services can respond. In very large snow <br />events, staff will post public worl<s plow equipment and <br />personnel with the fire department to help them respond to <br />emergencies should they arrive. Our main objective is to <br />have as many roads as possible open for the morning <br />commute and then clean up the streets when the majority of <br />residents are at worl< or school. Ifwe start at 2:00 a.m. we <br />are normally done with the main roads within 8 hours, with <br />cul-de-sacs tal<ing up to 10 hours to complete. <br /> <br />Q. What does the City of Ramsey use to control ice and <br />snow on our roads? <br /> <br />A. At this time the City of Ramsey uses a salt/sand mixture and <br />straight salt. A salt/sand mixture is used mainly on residential <br />roads because of the relatively low volume of traffic and lower <br /> <br />speeds. Sand is a short-term fix at best. It is <br />best used in very cold weather to provide <br />temporary traction. It has no real melting <br />properties and depending on the amount of traffic, <br />the sand will be embedded in to the snow or blown <br />to the edge of the road by passing traffic. The <br />trend in de-icing today is away from using sand. <br />Some reasons for this trend are air-borne <br />pollution, and clean up costs associated with sand. <br /> <br />Salt is a good de-icing agent because it is relatively <br />cheap and in large supply. One of the drawbacl<s <br />of salt is it starts to lose its effectiveness at about <br />15 degrees. Environmental issues can also arise <br />if salt is not applied properly. <br /> <br />Public worl<s staff will be testing several different <br />chemicals this winter to see if they can help clear <br />our roads and lower our use of salt and salt/sand. <br />Distributors of these chemicals claim they can cut <br />salt use by as much as 30%. This testing will be <br />done on several problem areas where heavy tree <br />cover l<eeps the sun from reaching the pavement <br />most of the winter. The lacl< of sun results in a <br />build up of ice that requires constant applications <br />of sand or salt to control. <br /> <br />Q. Why doesn't the large plow truck clear my <br />cul-de-sac? <br /> <br />A. The large plow equipment is not designed to worl< <br />in smaller areas. The job of the large equipment <br />is to clear the roads. Safety is one of the main <br />concerns. A large amount ofbacl<ing up, in a <br />fairly small area, is required to clear a cul-de- <br />sac. The large trucl<s have poor visibility to the <br />rear, so we try avoiding using them in cul-de-sacs. <br />Efficiency is also an issue. The large trucl< can <br />clear 5-6 blocl<s of main roadway in about the <br />same amount of time it would tal<e the driver to <br />clear one cul-de-sac. <br /> <br />Q. Why should I stake the curb/boulevard near <br />my home? <br /> <br />A. Stal<ing the boulevard helps the plow driver <br />visualize the edge of the road. In a heavy snowfall <br />sometimes the driver can not see where the road <br />bends or the exact location of the corner. The <br />Public Worl<s department distributes wooden <br />Continued on Page 13 <br /> <br />If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. - Anonymous <br />