When will your street be plowed? Here’s what to know about Kansas City snow removal
Every time it snows in Kansas City, the same question comes up: when will my street be plowed? The city has taken some steps to improve its snow removal process, but it still has a ways to go. This is what we know about how plowing works in Kansas City, and what steps you can take to make sure your street is in good care.
We spoke with Maggie Green, the City of Kansas City’s media relations manager, to get some answers.
What streets do snow plows prioritize?
Kansas City has two different snow plowing programs, called the arterial program for major streets, and the residential program for side streets. Green said that every street in the city falls under one of these two programs.
The arterial program is more extensive and gets treated with a higher level of service than side streets because the major streets have the most traffic.
Streets that are part of the arterial program get the following services:
Large dump trucks
Curb to curb plowing
Plow width with a minimum of 10 feet
Plow and salt
Daytime and nighttime shifts
There are 37 streets on this program, including Main Street, North Oak Trafficway, Holmes Street, Wornall Road and Barry Road.
The residential program focuses on snow routes in neighborhoods. Right now, they only plow these neighborhood streets during the day, but Green said the city is actively improving the program with the addition of overnight plowing and additional salting.
Streets that are part of the residential program get the following services:
Smaller pickup trucks, plus larger trucks where possible
7.5 foot plow width
Plowing and salting
When can I expect my neighborhood street to be plowed?
Green said it depends on the plow driver’s route. The drivers operate in 12-hour shifts and typically get through their route in that time frame. Some routes have multiple drivers, meaning they could treat side streets faster or slower depending on who’s available.
The arterial program for major roads will always begin before the snow starts, as they pre-treat the roads. They’re also on route when it starts snowing.
Plowing streets on the residential program will begin at the beginning of the storm if the storm rolls in during working hours or if the night shift is already working. Otherwise, the residential drivers start their shifts at 6 a.m.
How many trucks and plow drivers does the city have?
The city has between 311-364 employees and 296 vehicles for snow removal.
Since the city can use employees from different departments, Green said the city has enough staff to plow all the streets when needed.
Is the city supposed to plow neighborhood streets every time it snows?
If it snows, Green said the city would plow the streets. She said the only exception would be if the city gets a frost warning, and the bridges become slick. In that case, the city would only schedule the trucks for bridges, overpasses, curves and hills that are tricky to drive on.
Is there a way to see what streets have been plowed?
Kansas City has a map that tells you when a plow last went through a street. The colors on each street indicate the last time a snowplow cleared the road.
What can I do if my street hasn’t been plowed or is still slippery?
You can report your unplowed street to the city.
You can either use the myKCMO app to report streets that need plowing, call 311 or go to the KCMO website and select “snow” as the issue. The city asks that you wait 24 hours after the snow has stopped before reporting.
Which streets are salted when it snows? If a side street isn’t plowed, is it still salted?
All snow plows have salt, so they salt any road they travel. The city’s operations team looks at the weather to determine when it’s most effective to use salt. For instance, if the snow is already slushy, the trucks won’t use salt since they can plow through it without help.
When the temperature is freezing, the city will add calcium chloride to the large trucks and Ice-ban to the small trucks to help activate the salt.
Does the city plow every street in the same way?
Kansas City plows what it deems “primary streets” from curb to curb down to the bare pavement. The city’s crews keep these streets plowed 24 hours a day. Primary streets include Main Street, Barry Roads and other streets with high traffic. This is another way to describe the “arterial program” mentioned above.
Instead of curb to curb, the city plows one drivable lane on neighborhood streets. That’s part of the “residential program” mentioned above.
Green noted that the city is working on getting snowplows to go through a neighborhood street multiple times during a shift. The caveat is that it’ll take longer for snowplows to finish their route.
Which streets are the city’s responsibility, and which ones are the state’s responsibility?
The Missouri Department of Transportation treats the highways such as I-70, while Kansas City takes its streets. Some streets and neighborhoods are private, meaning they have privately-owned snow removal services to assist their area. You can find which neighborhoods and streets are private by using the city’s parcel viewer and selecting “street row” under platting.
What about sidewalks?
That’s on the property owner. There is a city ordinance that states you have to remove the snow on the sidewalk in front of your property in a timely manner.
Are there other reasons or other things people should know if their street isn’t plowed?
Green said vehicles might break down and cause delays in plowing the street. The street may have already been plowed, but since it continued to snow, the street was covered and the driver would have to go back the next time they’re available.
Do you have other questions about snow operations or other city service in Kansas City? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
