Plow Residential Streets Using Non-Traditional Techniques and Save Money

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Plow Residential Streets Using Non-Traditional
Techniques and Save Money

• APWA WESTERN SNOW AND ICE CONFERENCE
• Estes Park, Colorado
• September 23, 2008

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Loveland Facts and Figures
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Loveland Facts and Figures

• 65,000 population
• 36 inches of snowfall per year, average
• 12 snow events per year, average
• November 6.8 inches
• December 6.4 inches
• January 6.0 inches
• March 5.6 inches
• February 5.0 inches
• April 4.0 inches
• City street network totals 358 centerline miles
• Priority One arterials 70 c/l miles 20
• Priority Two collectors 133 c/l miles 37
• Priority Three residentials 155 c/l miles
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Loveland Facts and Figures

• PRIMARY SNOW EQUIPMENT
• 16 truck plows
• 11 w/ salt spreaders
• 5 w/ MgCl anti-icers
• 5 pickup plows
• 3 wheel loaders with plows
• 1 road grader
• 1 loader-mounted snow blower 1800
  tons/hr
• 1 sidewalk tractor w/ plow, broom
  blower

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Snow fighting Chemicals Used

• Ice Slicer average 1,500 tons per year
• Apex average 160,000 gallons per year

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General Snow fighting Operations

• 5 anti-icing trucks are deployed 3-5 hours before
  the storm to delay ice formation on pavements.
• When snow starts falling, all plow trucks are
  deployed.
• We start deicing, as needed.
• We operate 24/7 until
• streets are safe our
• downtown district is
• cleaned up.
• Two 12-hour shifts.
• Utilize employees from
• 8 other City divisions.

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December 2006 February 2007Mother of All
Winters
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December 2006 February 2007Mother of All
Winters

• Within a 16-day period, over 80 inches of snow
  fell in some areas of Front Range.
• Snowed every week for 6 weeks straight.
• On December 20th, Holiday Blizzard I powerful
  blizzard affected the Front Range and eastern
  plains of Colorado and surrounding states.
• Up to 3 feet fell along the Front Range from
  Pueblo to Fort Collins.
• Interstate and state highways were closed.
• Denver International Airport was closed down for
  two days, causing a significant ripple affect
  across the U.S..

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December 2006 February 2007Mother of All
Winters

• On December 28th - 29th, Holiday Blizzard II
  dropped another 8 24 inches along Front Range,
  with strong winds.
• Much of the state was declared a federal disaster
  area.
• Tens of thousands of livestock were killed.
• Hay drops were implemented helicopters were
  deployed to break the ice on stock tanks.
• On January 4th - 5th, Holiday Blizzard III
  yet another 12 inches.

http//www.drovers.com/news_editorial.asp?pgID715
ed_id3983
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December 2006 February 2007Lovelands Woes

• On December 20th-21st , 25 inches fell with
  strong winds, 4-6 foot drifts and cold temps.
• This was a record-breaking storm for December.
• By early pm on December 21st, Priority 1 and 2
  streets were plowed we then started plowing
  Priority 3 residentials.
• With snow 2-3 feet deep, our plow trucks and
  contract road graders became stuck dozens of
  times. Very slow going..
• Our trucks and graders left behind 3-4 foot
  windrows which blocked all driveways.

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December 2006-February 2007Lovelands Woes

• Because it was slow going and we blocked
  driveways the phones started ringing. Up to
  800 calls per day!
• We asked the local construction community for
  help in dealing with this emergency situation.
• By December 27 one week later nearly all
  residentials were either plowed and/or passable.
• IMPORTANT POINT residentials that saw a plow
  early on were mostly down to bare pavement.
  Those plowed a few days later were, at best,
  ice-packed and rutted.

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December 2006 February 2007Lovelands Woes

• On December 28th, we received another 8-14
  inches, and we started all over with Priority 1s,
  2s and finally 3s again.
• It snowed each of the next four weekends, for a
  total of six weeks in a row.
• Due to cold temps, our plows could not pop the
  bonded ice loose the plows just chattered over
  the top. Road graders worked only slightly
  better.
• On these last-plowed streets, the norm was
  severe icepack and deep ruts, ice potholes, and
  very slick surfaces.

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December 2006 February 2007Lovelands Woes

• Beginning early January, contractors and City
  crews loaded and hauled many hundreds of
  truckloads of snow/ice from our arterial and
  collector roads and business districts.

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December 2006 February 2007Mother of All
Winters

• In late January, we again attempted to plow off
  ice and ruts from our 140 residential miles, by
  deploying 20 contract graders and 25 frontend
  loaders.

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December 2006 February 2007Lovelands Woes

• With over 50 inches of combined snows and
  resulting snow piles and blocked gutters, we had
  DRAINAGE PROBLEMS EVERYWHERE!
• Only two solutions load/haul from key
  locations, and hope for a warm-up.
• Ultimately, temps warmed up, we could plow off
  the snow/ice, and drainage finally under-cut the
  piled snow banks.

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December 2006 February 2007Mother of All
Winters

• The Cost?
• 500,000 spent on plowing contractors 100/hour
  average.
• 250,000 spent on loading/hauling, traffic
  control.
• Untold curb/concrete damage throughout town from
  heavy equipment.
• Untold asphalt damage throughout town from
  never-ending freeze-thaw cycle.
• Bruised egos and frayed nerves.

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Lessons Learned?

• Our arterial/collector S I program works quite
  well. However, our Achilles Heel is our
  residential plowing program.
• Must plow fresh snow!! Waiting too long causes
  it to become packed down by traffic, and then
  freeze tightly to pavement.
• Must plow all streets simultaneously, and
  continue to plow as needed.
• Heavy equipment contractors are unfamiliar with
  the residential street network miss too many
  streets and even entire neighborhoods.

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My hopefully not-so crazy idea?

• Put snowplows on trash trucks.

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Why might this be better than using heavy
equipment contractors?

• Its already being done in several cities NYC,
  Chicago, Milwaukee, etc.
• We have a ready fleet of 20 trash and recycling
  trucks sitting in our yard.
• We have equipment operators for every one of
  these trucks.
• These residential trash and recycling operators
  know our street network better than anyone.

www.innogize.com/adrian/tz/archive/2006/02/
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Trash truck plows versus heavy equipment
contractors

• With 10 plow-equipped trash trucks, it would take
  approximately 4 hours to plow the center 1/3 of
  our 288 miles of collectors/residentials i.e.
  576 plow-miles _at_ two passes.
• Assumes each truck could average 15 mph.
• Each operator would drive his normal collection
  routes, plowing left to right, eventually plowing
  both sides of each street.

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Trash truck plowing

• Timing of each snowfall would dictate our
  strategy
• If an overnight snowfall, trash crews would plow
  residentials first, then unhook plows and resume
  their normal collections.
• If a daytime snowfall, crews would complete their
  normal daily collections, then hook up plows and
  plow residentials.
• Collections are performed Monday-Thursday, so
  snowfalls on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays,
  would not impact collections.

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Cost Comparison

• Grader/loader contractors typically charge about
  100 per hour.
• Our estimated cost for each trash truck plow and
  operator is 60 per hour.
• However, our net out-of-pocket cost for trash
  truck plowing 10/hour i.e. OT only
• Capital cost 26,000 retrofit i.e. for
  frame/bumper extension, hitch/plow and hydraulic
  hookups.
• For 10 trucks 260,000 /-.

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Other Advantages

• Can deploy trash-truck plows immediately versus
  waiting for contractors to trickle in.
• Immediate deployment means plowing fresher snow
  before residential traffic creates packed
  snow/ice, ruts, etc.
• Trash trucks can plow faster than road graders.
• Residential streets can be
  plowed concurrently with our
  arterials and collectors.

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Still More Advantages

• The faster the entire street network is opened
  up, the faster our community returns to normal
• Employees can get to work
• Students can get to school
• Buses can run
• Shoppers can get to the stores
• Sales taxes get rung up
• Fewer frustrations and frazzled nerves.

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Bottom Line?

• Big snowstorms are fairly common community
  emergencies in the Snow Belt Region, and we need
  to be better prepared.
• Being prepared means utilizing all of our
  existing resources.
• The community will receive better, faster, and
  cheaper service.
• Buying plows for existing trucks is a reasonable
  expense, given the high cost and risk that snow
  emergencies present.

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Questions? Comments?

• Mick Mercer
• Streets and Solid Waste Manager
• City of Loveland, CO
• 970.962.2530
• mercem_at_ci.loveland.co.us.