In Snow, and Ice, and Dead of Night...

Public Works Crews Ready for Winter Travel

The Village of Gurnee has 102 centerline miles of roads to plow, along with 275 cul-de-sacs and dead end streets. The snow plan divides the community into twelve plow routes. Each route ranges in length from 16 to 24 lane miles to plow. The thru streets on each route are maintained by a large snowplow. The cul-de-sacs and dead ends are maintained by a one-ton dump truck. Each small truck has approximately 20 streets for which they are responsible.

The goal of the Village's snow removal plan is to have all of the streets cleared in eight hours, in the event of a four to six-inch snowfall. Below are some frequently asked questions regarding the Public Works Department's snow removal efforts.

WHEN ARE STREETS PLOWED?
Plowing generally begins when snow becomes more than one-inch deep and when freezing temperatures indicate that no melting will occur. If there is a light snowfall and the afternoon sun is melting the fallen snow, it will be left to Mother Nature to remove the snow.

WHY DO WE USE ROAD SALT?
Salting is necessary to prevent melting snow from turning to ice. Once ice forms and becomes bonded to the pavement, it is very difficult to remove. Salting is typically done when the snow depth is one inch or less or if an icing condition occurs. Salting begins once the snow subsides and the salt will have time to work. The Public Works Department strives to use salt wisely and judiciously during any snow removal effort.

WHY IS SNOW PILED ON MY CORNER?
Snow that accumulates across the side road at the street corner needs to be pushed back onto the corner. This is done to properly clear the street radius and allow cars to turn. The snowplow driver typically pushes snow back onto the corner in the direction the truck is traveling. This is why a particular corner may get more snow on it than another. It is not practical to require that the large snowplow truck attempt to maneuver around the intersection to equally distribute snow on opposite corners. This is difficult to accomplish and is also time-consuming during significant snowstorms.

Snow piled at the street corner is of particular concern where there may be school bus stops. If there is an accumulation of snow at the corner of a bus stop, children may have to move up the street in order to board the school bus. Please instruct children not to climb on the piles that have accumulated at the corners. If a snow pile on a particular corner becomes a sight distance problem at a particular intersection, please call the Public Works Department and the snow can be removed as time permits.

WHEN ARE SIDEWALKS CLEARED?
Historically, we have attempted to clean sidewalks within the Village Center area and along major routes such as Route 132, Route 21, and O'Plaine Road. These walks are typically done the day after a snow event. In order for us to accomplish this task, we use two pieces of equipment and it generally takes three days to clear these designated areas.

WHY IS MY STREET ALWAYS THE LAST ONE TO BE PLOWED?
There are many miles of streets and many cul-de-sacs within the Village. Typically, the large snowplow on each route will concentrate on the major streets within each particular subdivision. Once the collector streets have been plowed, the large truck will move to the secondary streets within each subdivision. Public Works keeps route layouts logical and efficient to save fuel and salt.

Typically, dead end streets are easiest to clear and take about 10 minutes each to complete. Cul-de-sacs with the center islands take approximately 20 minutes to be cleared. Finally, the cul-de-sacs that do not have islands in the center are the most time consuming, usually taking approximately 30 minutes to plow. Another factor that affects the plow's arrival in your specific area has to do with equipment failures or breakdowns. If a truck is out of service for any period of time, it adversely affects snow removal within your area.

Public Works makes every effort to reduce the potential for breakdowns; however, breakdowns still occur. It should take each truck approximately four to five hours to pass through their entire route once. If the snow is a heavy, sustained storm, the truck may have to make many passes in an effort to keep roads passable.

WHO CLEARS STATE AND COUNTY ROUTES?
The Village does not maintain any roads that fall under the jurisdiction of another agency. Route 132 (Grand Ave.), Route 21 (Milwaukee Ave.), Route 41, Route 45, and Route 120 (Belvidere Rd.) are maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Hunt Club Road, Washington Street, O'Plaine Road, and Gages Lake Road are maintained by Lake County Division of Transportation. Lake County also maintains Stearns School Road, east of Dilleys Road; Dilleys Road, north of Route 132; and Delany Road, north of Route 41.

WHY IS SNOW ALWAYS LEFT AT THE END OF MY DRIVEWAY?
Unfortunately, this is one of the consequences of owning a home in northern Illinois. Despite popular opinion, crews do not place snow in driveways on purpose. There is no practical way for the snow plow operator to cut off the windrow of snow when crossing a driveway. This problem is especially acute in cul-de-sacs because this is a very confined space. Cul-de-sacs require that all of the snow that is on the roadway within that confined space be placed along the outside of the circle. The problem is compounded by the fact that each homeowner then must clear their driveway, which places large piles on the corners of the drives.

In a cul-de-sac, it is extremely difficult to have the truck push snow onto a center island. Trucks are not built to be articulated into an angle that would allow placing a portion of the snow on the island, and centrifugal force causes the snow to move off of the plow toward the outside of the circle. Public Work's goal in clearing all streets is to maintain as much of the normal pavement width as possible, while at the same time, allowing acceptable access to the mailboxes by the postal carriers.

One thing you can do to reduce the amount of snow that is plowed in front of your driveway is to place as much of the snow as possible to the right side of your drive, as you face the street. This reduces the chance of snow previously removed from the driveway being pushed back onto your drive. This suggestion, however, may not work in cul-de-sacs that have driveway openings placed close together.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?
One major problem that works against snow removal operations is people shoveling or blowing snow back onto the street after it has been plowed and salted. Village ordinance prohibits placing snow back onto the roadway once it has been plowed. Snow that has been deposited onto the street could refreeze and cause a hazardous condition for you or your neighbors. Please place the snow that you shovel off of your driveway and sidewalk onto the adjacent parkway and not back onto the street.

• When it starts to snow, park your vehicle off of the street. This protects the car from being splashed with slush and salt, prevents the car from being plowed in, or from receiving a ticket and being towed.
• Check that your mailbox and post are in good repair and that they are behind the curb, not leaning out over the street. For specifications on mailbox placement, please reference the Village's Mailbox Damage from Snow Plowing Policy (PDF).
• If there is a fire hydrant in front of your home, please try to clear the snow around the hydrant. It is there for your protection and that of your neighbors.
• Please remove portable basketball hoops from the street right of way. If they are left in an area where they can be damaged by our snow removal operations, we will not be responsible for any damage.