City of Columbus

Contact:  
Dan Williamson, Mayor’s Office, 645-5300
Rick Tilton, Public Service, 645-7263
John Ivanic, City Council, 645-6798

“I am so proud of our Snow Warriors.  They have one of the most difficult jobs around and are the best in the nation when it comes to fighting snow and ice,” said Mayor Coleman.  “They are on the job when duty calls, day and night, weekends and holidays, no matter how much snow falls.”

For the upcoming winter, the City has more than doubled the number of employees cross-trained to drive snow plow trucks during heavy snow storms.  Ninety employees, compared to 73 employees one year ago and only 35 two years ago, are ready to join Columbus’ core group of 111 Snow Warriors when needed to battle heavy snows.  The core group of 111 Snow Warriors work in the Department of Public Service; the cross-trained employees serve in the Departments of Public Service and Public Utilities and the Recreation and Parks Department. 

To help get the job done and save money, Columbus in 2010 joined an Ohio Department of Transportation-led consortium of Ohio cities, counties, villages and townships that leverages strength in numbers to get a lower price on road salt. Through the consortium, the City of Columbus is paying $50.92 per ton of salt this year compared to $63.34 per ton in the winter of 2009-10 before the City joined the consortium. 

“Our Snow Warriors show why they are the greatest in the nation every time they get behind the wheel of a truck to fight snow and make Columbus streets safer for motorists and pedestrians,” said Department of Public Service Director Mark Kelsey.  “Thanks to them and the collaboration between departments during our worst snow storms, we are getting the most out of every taxpayer dollar when the snow falls.” 

Columbus’ Snow Warriors are responsible for 227 square miles, nearly three times more than the area covered by their counterparts in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo. Columbus’ square mileage includes more than 6,300 lane miles of roadway, by far the most among Ohio cities. 

Under the City’s Snow and Ice Control Plan, freeways, arterial streets and collector residential streets have the top three priorities for clearing snow.   Residential streets are plowed only after four inches of snow are on the ground from a storm and the top three priority roadways have been plowed and treated. Specific streets are not plowed upon requests from residents and media. 

Residents can view an informational video about the City’s Snow and Ice Control Plan on CTV-3, the City’s cable access channel, or online at (Sorry, this video is no longer available). 

The Department of Public Service this winter will provide updates of the Snow Warriors work through the department’s Facebook site at  www.facebook.com/ColumbusPublicService  and Twitter account at  http://twitter.com/ColumbusDPS. 

City of Columbus Snow Warriors Fact Sheet:  Winter of 2012-13

Quick Facts About The City of Columbus’ Snow Plan and RelatedSnow Information

Tons of salt used/cost/per ton in past years 

• 2012-13:  26,682 tons on hand as of 11/26/12 ($50.92 per ton.  NOTE:  Prior to the winter of 2010-11, the City joined an ODOT-led consortium, which helped lower the price of salt) 
• 2011-12:  5,681 tons ($332,225 total/$58.48 per ton) 
• 2010-11: 31,722 tons ($1.9 million total/$59.98 per ton) 
• 2009-10: 31,455 tons ($2 million total/$63.34 per ton) 
• 2008-09: 26,109 tons ($1.4 million total/$54 per ton) 
• 2007-08: 37,957 tons ($1.81 million total/$47.58 per ton) 
• 2006-07: 22,901 tons ($955,201 total/$41.71 per ton) 
• 2005-06: 11,346 tons ($464,619/$40.95 per ton) 

Salt purchases:  Saving taxpayer dollars  

• Beginning with the 2010-11 winter season, the City of Columbus became a member of an Ohio Department of Transportation-led consortium of the state and Ohio municipalities, counties, townships and villages 
• ODOT bids out salt purchases for the consortium 
• The consortium’s size gives ODOT and participating local governments the leverage to buy salt at a lower price, saving taxpayers money 
• Thanks to the consortium, the City of Columbus is paying $50.92 per ton of salt at the beginning of the 2012-13 winter season.  This is compared to: 
• $58.48 one year ago  
• $63.34 when the City purchased salt alone directly from venders in the winter of 2009-10 

The Department of Public Service this winter will provide updates of the Snow Warriors work through the department’s Facebook site at  www.facebook.com/ColumbusPublicService  and Twitter account at  http://twitter.com/ColumbusDPS   

The Snow Warriors’ fleet includes two Compressed Natural Gas-powered dump trucks, which were added to the fleet during the 2011-12 winter season   

• CNG-powered vehicles emit less carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen and sulfur oxides than vehicles that run on gasoline 
• On average, CNG vehicles have lower maintenance costs than those that run on gasoline   

Number of drivers, plus those cross-trained  

• 2012-13: 111 Equipment Operators (plus 90 cross-trained) 
• 2011-12: 113 Equipment Operators (plus 73 cross-trained) 
• 2010-11: 112 Equipment Operators (plus 35 cross-trained) 
• 2009-10: 112 Equipment Operators (plus 33 cross-trained) 
• 2008-09: 118 Equipment Operators (plus 27 cross-trained) 
• 2007-08: 122 Equipment Operators (plus 17 cross-trained) 
• 2006-07: 121 Equipment Operators (plus 5 cross-trained)  

The City has 6 salt barns   

Snow routes priorities  

• Priority 1:  Freeway system (Portions of State routes 315, 33 and 104.  ODOT is responsible for I-71, I-70, I-670 and I-270) 
• Priority 2:  Arterial streets (Examples:  High Street, Broad Street, Morse Road) 
• Priority 3:  Collector residential streets (Examples:  Oakland Park Avenue, Courtright Road, Hague Avenue, Weber Road) 
• Priority 4:  Residential streets (Plowed only after four inches of snow are on the ground and after freeways, arterials and collector residential streets have been plowed and treated)

In the event of heavy snow storms of four inches or more when the city of Columbus plows residential streets, residents are asked to move their cars parked on the street off the street, if possible, to give plow trucks additional room to plow. 

When the City of Columbus does plow residential streets after at least four inches of snow have fallen:  

• The goal is to make residential streets passable 
• Plow trucks do not plow down to bare pavement on residential streets 
• Residential streets typically are not plowed the entire curb-to-curb width 
• On cul-de-sacs, plow trucks plow enough of the cul-de-sac “bulb” to allow vehicles to turn around, rather than go right to the cul-de-sac bulb curb 
• In the event of heavy snow storms of four inches or more when the city of Columbus plows residential streets, residents are asked to move their cars parked on the street off the street, if possible, to give plow trucks additional room to plow 

Columbus’ Snow Warriors are responsible for more than 6,300 lane miles of roadway, more than Cleveland and Cincinnati combined (or, 2,053 linear miles, approximately the distance between Columbus and Las Vegas)  

• Cleveland:  3,000 lane miles 
• Cincinnati:  2,986 lane miles 
• Toledo:  2,700 lane miles 
• Dayton:  1,600 lane miles 
• Dublin:  502 lane miles
• Westerville:  409 lane miles 
• Reynoldsburg:  270 lane miles 
• Worthington:  176 lane miles 
• Gahanna:  140 lane miles 

Columbus’ Snow Warriors are responsible for 227 square miles, much more than their counterparts in other Ohio cities:  

• Cleveland:  82 square miles
• Toledo:  80 square miles
• Cincinnati:  79 square miles
• Dayton:  57 square miles  

Plow crews in Columbus’ suburban communities are able to plow their residential streets sooner than Columbus because their cities are much smaller.  In fact, Columbus’ 227 square miles is more than double the combined square miles of all the suburban communities listed below:  

• Dublin:  26 square miles
• Grove City:  16.2 square miles
• Gahanna:  12 square miles
• Reynoldsburg:  12 square miles
• Hilliard:  11.5 square miles
• Upper Arlington:  9.67 square miles
• Pickerington:  9.58 square miles
• Worthington:  5 square miles
• Bexley:  2.5 square miles 

All Snow Warriors’ trucks (large and middle sized dump trucks) are equipped with GPS systems known as COMBAT (Central Ohio Management Based Applied Technology)  

• A joint project with Franklin County Engineer’s Office 
• $4.1 million project (City share of total is $522,000) 
• COMBAT is on snow plow dump trucks, anti-icers, tractor mowers and street sweepers 
• Allows the City to track locations of trucks 
• Can track work trucks are doing (plow is up or down; salting or not) 
• Helps the City be more efficient and effective in plowing and treating streets 
• COMBAT provides a record of streets that have been plowed 

City also can verify whether a street has been plowed by checking maps that have been completed by plow truck drivers.  The drivers check off streets on their maps as they plow the streets assigned to them. 

Addition of a swing shift (3:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Midnight) in the winter of 2009-10 added eight to 10 plow trucks to the City snow fighting efforts during weekday evening rush hour 

• In late January to early February 2011, day and night-long heavy snow storms forced Snow Warriors to plow and re-plow arterial and collector streets multiple times.  Without the swing shift working, plowing of residential streets during those unusually heavy storms would have been delayed at least one or two days. 
• The swing shift helped Snow Warriors get into residential streets faster during three back-to-back-to-back heavy snow storms in February 2010—they started plowing residential streets within 48 hours of the first snowflake falling, thanks in part to the swing shift’s work.  February 2010 was the snowiest February in Columbus history. 
• During February 2010 record snowfalls, day and night-long heavy snow forced Snow Warriors to plow and re-plow arterial and collector streets multiple times.  Again, without the swing shift working, plowing of residential streets during those unusually heavy storms would have been delayed at least one or two days. 

Every winter storm is different, so strategy in responding to a specific storm may vary from that of another storm  

Because every storm is different, there is no standard or set time span for the Snow Warriors to plow Columbus streets 

• Long, uninterrupted snow falls require freeways, arterial and collector streets to be plowed and/or treated repeatedly until the snow stops.  These long, uninterrupted snowfalls that drop more than four inches of snow will affect how soon the Snow Warriors can begin to plow residential streets 
• Colder temperatures, wind, and cloudy conditions after a storm can lengthen the time it takes to treat and plow streets 
• Wet, heavy snow also often increases the time needed to plow and treat streets 

The City of Columbus/Department of Public Service does not plow and treat specific streets upon requests by residents or media.  The 311 Customer Service Center is unable to provide estimates as to when a specific street will be plowed and treated.  

Streets, including residential streets, are plowed in a systematic order 

• At the beginning of each shift, each driver is given a stack of maps 
• The driver plows and treats streets one map area at a time, then returns to the maintenance yard to get a fresh set of maps and works until his or her shift is completed 

As Columbus has more than 200,000 private driveways, moving plowed snow from private driveway aprons would add weeks to each plowing effort  

• City would have to purchase dozens of tractors at $75,000 each, which would add millions to the City budget to purchase and maintain 

Columbus’ Snow Warriors use different treatments for streets depending on the conditions  

• Salt, Calcium Chloride:  Melts snow and ice under most conditions.  Salt loses its effectiveness in extremely low temperatures, especially on lightly-traveled streets.
• Brine (a mix of salt and water):  Pavement is pre-treated with brine prior to a storm.  Brine helps prevent snow and ice from bonding to pavement. 
• Rock Salt of Salt mixed with Calcium Chloride:  Applied to road with highest traffic volumes and highest speeds during and after snow falls 
• ICEBITE (Beet Juice): blended with Brine or Calcium Chloride depending on the applicable situation 

Residents also have a role during and after snow storms  

• Drive with extra care and leave additional distance between you and the vehicle in front of you 
• Maintain a distance of no less than 100 feet behind a snow plow truck 
• Avoid passing snow plow trucks because the drivers cannot always see a smaller car about to pass 
• Follow snow emergency laws when a snow emergency is declared 
• When possible, park vehicles in driveways or parking lots and off streets to give plow trucks room to plow 
• Check on senior citizens, shut-ins and other neighbors with mobility impairments 
• Whether a home or business, shovel your sidewalk, driveway apron and any wheelchair ramps in front of your home or business 
• Pile snow in yards.  Never shovel snow into the street or sidewalks. 
• Apply salt, sand or cat litter to icy steps and paths 
• When the snow begins to melt, clear snow from in front of catch basins by shoveling the snow into storm sewers.  The heat of the storm sewer will melt the snow and allow other melting snow and ice to flow freely into storms sewers. 

Snow Warriors’ fleet:  Cost per vehicle to buy new  

• Tandem-Axle Dump Truck, with 10-Cubic-Yard Dump Body and 11-Foot Snow Plow Blade:  $145,500 
• Single-Axle Dump Truck, with 6-Cubic-Yard Dump Body and 10-Foot Snow Plow Blade:  $136,500
• Mid-Size Dump Truck, with 4-Cubic-Yard Dump Body and 9-Foot Snow Plow Blade:  $66,060 (Note:  This was the cost in 2000, the most recent purchase of this vehicle)
• 1-Ton Pickup Truck with 500-pound capacity salt spreader and 8-Foot V-Blade Snow Plow:  $42,700
• Tractor, with 8-Foot Snow Plow blade:  $56,000
• Anti-Icer equipment:
• Pump driven Anti-Icer truck, with 2,200 gallon capacity tank (Carries liquid calcium chloride or brine):  $123,800
• Gravity Feed Anti-Icer dump truck attachments (Carry liquid calcium chloride or brine)
• Five with 650 gallon capacity each:  $1,500 each
• One with 2,000 gallon capacity:  $4,000 each

Columbus Snow Warriors have other job responsibilities including, but not limited to  

• Patching potholes 
• Street cleaning 
• Alley surfacing treatment  
• Mowing 
• Underpass cleaning 
• Graffiti removal 

Because our Snow Warriors need to be focused on doing the work to make streets safer while they are behind the wheel during and after snow storms, the City does not grant media and residents’ requests to do ride-alongs with Snow Warriors   

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