Navajo County

Navajo County Public Works

Roadway Snow Removal and Cindering Policy

Purpose

Navajo County Department of Public Works considers that the forecast of certain difficult driving conditions caused by snow and or ice warrant immediate response and work by its roadway maintenance forces to mitigate these driving conditions until weather allows driving conditions to return to normal.

The goal of this work will be to enable a reasonable and prudent driver operating a sufficiently equipped vehicle to safely travel public roadways. Work may be continuous or intermittent depending on the nature of the storm, and the availability and condition of equipment and personnel.

Policy

1. Navajo County Department of Public Works Road Maintenance Crews will begin snow removal operations and/or cindering when four (4) inches or more has accumulated on the local roadways.
2. Priority for snow removal and/or cindering is:
   1. Major County Maintained arterial roads and school bus routes.
   2. Minor collector roads.
   3. Residential Roads designated and maintained by the county.
   4. Primitive Roads designated and maintained by the county.
3. Priorities a thru c will be completed so that all roadways will be cleared with an initial pass, and open prior to beginning on Priority d.
4. In emergency situations the Sheriff’s Office may contact the Road Yard Supervisor so they can coordinate movement of emergency vehicles (ambulance, fire trucks, etc.)
5. It is the purpose of the initial pass to open roadways so as to permit responsible traffic flow. It is impossible to plow without leaving a windrow (which may affect) driveway entrances. The County does not have the equipment or manpower to address these windrows in the initial phases of snow removal. Hence the removal of the windrows will be addressed during the clean-up phase of the operation (generally within 24-48 hours after the storm has passed) on County Maintained roads only.
6. Driveway snow clearing is the responsibility of the resident. *
7. Illegal head walls that have been constructed on pipe culverts without a county Right-of-Way use permit are the responsibility of the resident.
8. Exceptions to this policy may be made by the Board of Supervisors or the Public Works director in situations where Public Health Safety and Welfare will be more readily assured by such an exception.

Snow Removal Procedures

1. Road Yard Supervisors will be primarily responsible for determining when snow removal operations are to commence. They will monitor weather forecasts, weather conditions, and road conditions. They will notify the Highway Superintendent and crews when conditions are such that he/she believes the snow level is approaching 4” and snow removal and /or cindering operations are preparing to begin. It is intended that snow removal and/or road cindering operations will be actively underway at the 4” snow level.
2. The Road yard Supervisor will determine the crew size and assign personnel to specific areas. Note: Under the Navajo County Personnel Policy Sec 2305-B “While preference may be given to those employees who wish to volunteer for the work, all employees are required to work overtime when requested to do so.”
3. The operators will move through their assigned area according to the priorities in the snow removal policy. Each operator’s primary area of responsibility and route will be identified on the road district Snow Plowing Route Manual which is accessible to a dispatcher, if a dispatcher is deemed necessary. If operators are confronted with an emergency they are to contact the supervisor immediately, if the supervisor cannot be reached they may contact the Sheriff dispatch for direction.
4. Cars in the roadway:

   Operators will notify the Supervisor if a vehicle is obstructing the safe operation of the snow removal process. The Supervisor will notify the Sheriff’s Dept. with the License #, model, make, color, and location. It will be at the Sherriff’s Department discretion as if and how the vehicle is to be removed.

5. If the operator is unable to safely conduct snow plowing and/or roadway cindering operations due to vehicles’ in the roadway he/she will not do so and he will notify the supervisor of such stranded vehicles: unless the situation is obviously life threatening, the procedure will be the same as item 4.
6. Windrows: all windrows developed on road identified in the policy portion of this document (items 32 – a, b, c pg.1), will remain during the initial phases of snow removal and until roadways are cleared and the cleanup phase has begun.
7. Driveway clearing and cindering is the responsibility of the resident.
8. Mailboxes that are knocked down by the county equipment during snow removal be repaired by the County or its designee during the clean up phase. The area surrounding the mailbox is the homeowner’s responsibility to clear.

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