Here’s how Kansas City officials, public works teams are preparing for this week’s snow
With another round of snowfall expected to hit the Kansas City metropolitan area this week, city officials say they’re working proactively to keep the roads clear.
A light snowfall is expected to fall Monday night into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Areas south of U.S. Hwy 50 could see up to an inch of snowfall, and roads may be slick throughout Tuesday.
However, the main weather to watch will come after that, with four to eight inches of snow expected to fall across the region Tuesday night into Wednesday. The NWS issued a winter storm warning for Kansas City and portions of Kansas and Missouri from midnight Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The Kansas City Public Works Department began laying salt down on city roads Monday, 36 hours ahead of the expected storm, Mayor Quinton Lucas and City Manager Brian Platt said at a Monday news conference.
“We recognize and respect a whole bunch of people have to get to work,” Lucas said Monday. “We will do our level best to make sure that everything can be open, including our schools and others, but recognizing that Mother Nature controls this instead of us.”
The NWS said Monday that the snow is expected to make road conditions deteriorate, making travel “very difficult” Wednesday and Thursday. At Monday’s conference, Platt and Lucas urged residents to stay home if possible Wednesday, or consider delaying their commutes.
“Stay off the road as much as you possibly can,” Platt said. “...Take a few extra minutes to see if you need to make that trip.”
‘Fleet team has been phenomenal’
Kansas City officials said they were proud of snow-clearing efforts when the Kansas City area faced a blizzard in early January. The winter storm Jan. 4 and 5 dumped 11 inches of snow on the metro, causing some schools and businesses to close for several days.
However, public works teams faced an “icing issue” during the last storm, Lucas said - and some residents were outspoken about delays in snowplows reaching their neighborhoods.
“We will always have an early focus on our arterials, but our folks got out, they hit quite a few,” Lucas said. “Does that mean that we got 100% of the neighborhoods in Kansas City? Absolutely not.”
The city currently has a fleet of 300 snow-removal trucks, though Platt said he’s not sure how many are still out of commission after the January blizzard. Additional trucks are set to arrive this spring, Platt said.
“Our fleet team has been phenomenal,” Platt said. “In years past, when we’ve had a fleet that is very, very old, some of our trucks are waiting to be repaired for days and weeks. There were moments in that last storm where it was only a few minutes, or even hours, to get some of those trucks back on the road.”
Kansas City added 10,000 tons of salt to its stores in preparation for this week’s weather, Platt said. The city begins each winter with 40,000 tons of salt in storage, with an additional 10,000 tons on emergency reserve.
Road conditions are expected to be iciest early in the morning after snowfall begins, Platt said, particularly on interstate highways.
Platte noted Monday that every street in Kansas City is part of a planned plow route. Though the city finds some delay in plowing to be normal after a big storm, he said, officials hope to further minimize stoppages and lag this week.
“We’re learning how to deal with this big type of storm,” Platte said. “We’re thinking about how best to deploy some of those resources in some of the further-reaching neighborhoods, and making sure that we’re getting on top of every single street.”
The city has also been working to incorporate secondary roadways, such as sidewalks and bike lanes, into its planned snowplow routes, Platte said. Residents can help ensure plow routes aren’t blocked by moving their cars from street parking spots, especially on more narrow streets.
Residents who find that their streets are not plowed during and after snowfall this week should contact the city through the MyKCMO app, Lucas said.
“I do think that we continue to see a stronger and stronger response after every storm in Kansas City,” Lucas said. “...It was going to be interesting if we were having a parade and a snow. I guess that’s one step that makes this easier.”
