Streets

The snow season runs from Nov. 15 to March 15. Spokane sees most of its snowfall during these four months of the year, with snow often concentrated in December and January. During snow season, the City monitors weather conditions 24 hours a day. Crews proceed with regular winter operations until it snows, and plowing operations are triggered.

When it snows, even if it’s just a couple of inches, crews will plow all the streets, including residential streets. This “maintenance plow” work will occur primarily during regular day shifts Monday through Friday. Crews from the City’s water and wastewater utilities supplement Streets crews for plowing efforts sooner, and more equipment will be available on a regular basis for plowing. Arterials are plowed first, followed by hills in residential areas. Identified vehicle routes around schools and medical facilities also have been prioritized for clearing.

During a larger snowfall of four inches or more, crews will move to 24/7 operations to complete a Full-City Plow. Employees from other City Public Works departments augment the street crews to complete plowing work. With more personnel available and more equipment, crews expect to be able to complete that plow in about three days.

When crews cannot effectively keep arterials clear because of weather conditions, they will use the designated and signed Snow Corridor Plan. Crews will concentrate on identified routes the community can rely on until conditions improve.

The City now has a total of 19 snow gates. The gates allow our plow drivers to avoid placing snow across a driveway or alley access. The gates won’t completely eliminate driveway berms, particularly for those who live on arterials that are plowed more frequently, but they will dramatically reduce the berms throughout the City.

Changed plowing techniques also will help alleviate berms and snow pushed onto sidewalks. Crews will plow away from the curb somewhat to help keep snow off driveways and sidewalks. Snow also may be pushed to center medians in some cases.

And here’s a tip—Shovel to the right of your driveway when you’re looking at the street. That prevents plows from pushing snow you shoveled back into the driveway.

Crews use liquid deicers, along with salt and sand mixtures for treating arterial streets and bridges.

During the snow season, the City changes its street operations to accommodate the ice and snow of Inland Northwest winters. Street crews switch to 10-hour shifts, covering 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. Weather is monitored continuously for changing conditions. Crews spread deicer, sweep streets, clean up problem areas, and perform related tasks to improve driving conditions and keep the community safe.

Residents are asked to park on the odd side of the street in residential areas for the entire snow season between Nov. 15 and March 15. The goal is to aid plow drivers with their work.

Downtown on snowy days, on-street parking will be prohibited between midnight and 6 a.m. so parking bays can be plowed out. Vehicles parked in these locations can be towed during noticed events. Notification of those parking restrictions will be sent to media and be available through MySpokane 311. Snow will be plowed to the middle of street in downtown Spokane, but City crews will plan to pick up those middle berms. Signs are displayed in the downtown business district indicating this rule. Generally, the boundaries are Maple to Division and I-90 to the Spokane River. The City has some parking options for snow days under the freeway, particularly for those with residential parking passes in the core, and there are also numerous off-street surface parking lots. The boundary excludes the residential-only area in Peaceful Valley affecting several streets between Cedar and Maple, including Water, Main, Clarke, and Wilson.

Restricting parking during snow emergencies allows plow drivers to clear away more snow, widening the area available for emergency response, cars, trucks and buses and generally improving drivability for motorists.

In the downtown, parking restrictions also allow the City to clear snow from parking spaces, allowing for easier parking for customers. In residential areas, limiting parking to one side of the street allows plow drivers to move away from the curb, reducing the amount of snow and ice that ends up on sidewalks.

In advance of the snow season, residents must move all recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers off the street to winter storage locations. By City ordinance (SMC 16A.05.310), these vehicles can be parked in on-street parking spaces for no more than 24 hours. Basketball hoops are another obstacle that should be moved from the right of way.

Residents and businesses must keep their sidewalks shoveled. The City asks the community to clear a 36-inch path to allow pedestrians to travel effectively even if a sidewalk does not exist, with a goal of completion by 9 a.m. after a snowfall. By City ordinance (SMC 12.01.010), adjacent property owners are responsible for keeping the sidewalks clear and safe, and liability issues rest with the adjacent property owner, not the City.

Sidewalks are an important mode of travel for many of Spokane’s residents. Our children use them to get to school and to their bus stops. Many people use them to reach Spokane Transit Authority stops and to get basic supplies at grocery stores and other locations. Icy and snow-packed sidewalks are dangerous and often leave people to walk to their destinations in the street.

Plowing techniques help alleviate snow pushed onto sidewalks. Crews plow away from the curb somewhat to help keep snow away from driveway and sidewalks. Snow also may be pushed to center medians in some cases. The City is committed to maintaining the sidewalks adjacent to its properties to improve pedestrian passage.

The City works with Spokane Public Schools to identify and prioritize important pedestrian and vehicle routes. These are addressed after arterials and hills.

Increased plowing in residential areas at lower snow totals should help keep vehicle routes clearer. The City coordinates with Spokane Transit Authority and major medical facilities to address areas of concern.

The City provides information before and during the snow season, sharing information with the local media and through a variety of communication tools such as social media, City5 Cable and the City website.

During 24/7 full-City plow events, the online plowing map is available to show the progress of plows. Plow routes in residential neighborhoods are named to coincide with City’s neighborhoods. The community can contact MySpokane 311 to report a snow or ice concern or get additional information.

For up-to-date information, go to My.SpokaneCity.org/Streets and follow us @spokanecity on Facebook and Twitter.

The community can contact MySpokane 311 to report a snow or ice concern or get additional information.

Move your recreational vehicle, boat, or trailer off the street and to a winter storage location for the snow season.

Make sure you have adequate snow shovels or a working snow blower.

Consider buying some salt or sand.

Consider contracting services with a company that provides snow removal services before the snow flies if you don’t want to shovel yourself.

Plan for a place to park throughout the snow season, from Nov. 15 to March 15.

Find your residential snow plow route to make it easier to track the progress of plows.

Get to know your neighbors and provide or arrange help for those who need assistance to clear their property.