Loading...
The purpose of this chapter is to establish the County’s policy and level of service in respect to clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of its secondary road system during the winter months, specifically defined as November through April, pursuant to the provisions of Section 309.67 of the Code of Iowa. This policy and level of service are to be implemented within the amount of money budgeted for this service, and as contained in the County’s secondary road budget as submitted to and approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation and adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The clearing of roads at any cost is not the County’s policy.
Clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of the secondary road system during the winter months are primarily for the benefit of the local residents of the County. Each storm has individual characteristics and must be dealt with accordingly. The portion of the roadway improved for travel will have upon it snow and ice in a compacted condition. These conditions may be continuous, or they may be more concentrated on hills, in valleys, curves, and/or intersections. The County’s existing snow removal equipment will be utilized for this purpose. On occasion County personnel may be rendered unavailable due to the requirements of the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991. Except for “emergencies” as determined by the County Engineer’s professional judgment, on a case-by-case basis, all clearance of snow or ice, sanding, salting and other maintenance respecting winter conditions shall be accomplished within the amount of money budgeted for this service and as practicable. The entire width of the portion of the road improved for travel may not be cleared of snow, ice, compacted snow, ice, or frost. Snow cleared from that part of the roadway improved for travel shall be placed on or in the adjacent shoulder, ditch, or right-of-way. Snow can be expected to accumulate adjacent to the traveled portion to the extent that a motorist’s sight distance to both the left and right may be greatly reduced or impaired. The snow removed from intersections will be piled in its corners in piles of unequal height. The lines of sight, sight distance or visibility of motorists approaching these intersections may be greatly reduced or impaired. The County shall not be responsible for snow pushed or otherwise placed on the roadway or shoulders by others. Motorists shall drive their vehicles during these conditions with additional caution and watchfulness, especially in respect to the surface of the roadway, and reduced or impaired visibility, and are advised to reduce their speed at least 25 miles per hour below that legally permitted or advised under normal conditions. In respect to roadways that have only one lane open, further extreme watchfulness and caution should be exercised by the motorists, and their speed should not exceed 10 miles per hour. During these conditions no additional warning or regulatory signs will be placed warning of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions, or that the road surface is slick or slippery, or what the advised speed should be.
In the implementation of snow and ice removal and other maintenance of the County’s secondary road system during the winter months, the County Engineer shall select the actual sequence of roads to be cleared as provided for in this section, and shall determine when drifting, wind velocity and additional snow or snowstorms require that the snow removal equipment be removed from the roadway, or that additional clearance of paved roads be accomplished prior to the clearance of gravel and dirt roads. The County Engineer’s professional judgment shall prevail unless it is clearly erroneous.
1. Paved Routes.
A. The initial effort will be to get all routes open to two-lane traffic as soon as possible and/or practicable. During initial snow removal operations, paved roads may only have one lane plowed for a period of time.
B. After two-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours.
C. The truck-mounted snow plows and spreaders will not normally be in operation between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. The trucks may be called off the road if snow and blowing reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the County Engineer.
D. When required, due to drifting snow, motor graders may be used to keep the paved roads open and the opening of gravel roads may be delayed.
E. It is not the policy of the County to provide a “dry” pavement condition.
F. After roads have been plowed as provided in this section, intersections, hills, and curves may have salt, sand, or other abrasives placed on them. These intersections, hills and curves may not be re-sanded, re-salted, or have other abrasives replaced on them between snowstorms.
There is no time limit after a snowstorm in which any of the above sequence of clearance, on paved or unpaved roads, shall take place.
2. Unpaved Roads.
A. The initial effort will be to get all routes open to one-lane traffic as soon as possible and/or practicable after a storm has passed.
B. After one-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours.
C. Motor graders and/or truck plows will not normally be in operation between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. The motor graders and/or truck plows may be called off the road if snow and blowing reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the Engineer.
D. Snow may not be removed from roads designated Level B.
3. Private Drives. The County will not clear snow from private drives. Normal snow removal operation may result in snow being deposited in private drives. Snow from private drives shall not be placed on the roadway or shoulders.
Notwithstanding anything else stated in this chapter, the policy and level of service provided for in this chapter shall not include the following, and the following services shall not be performed:
1. Sanding, salting or placing of other abrasives upon the roadways that are slick, slippery and dangerous due to the formation of frost.
2. Sanding, salting or placing of other abrasives upon paved roadways due to freezing rain that occurs outside the County’s usual working hours.
3. Placing of additional warning or regulatory signs warning of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions, or that the road surface is slick or slippery, or what the advised speed should be.
4. Sanding, salting or placing abrasives upon any road, except for paved roads. If in the opinion of the County Engineer an “emergency” exists and ice has built up on hills and intersections on the gravel system that slope down to another road so as to become dangerous, abrasive material may be applied at these locations as crew and equipment availability allow and only as a last resort. This condition will not, under any circumstances, take a higher priority than placing of abrasive material on the paved road system and will only be done after the paved roads are cleared of ice and snow. Abrasive material will also only be placed after other mechanical means have been tried and failed, such as scraping with motor graders.
5. Removing of sand, salt or other abrasives.
6. Plowing, sanding, salting or placing of abrasives on any road that is not within the jurisdiction of the County, unless it is agreed to do so by a 28-E Agreement between the County and the entity having jurisdiction of the road.
Service or the level or sequence of service may be suspended during emergency conditions. An “emergency condition” is considered as one where a loss of life is probable, where serious injury has occurred, or where extensive loss of property is imminent. These conditions should be verified through the 911 dispatcher or Sheriff’s office. The County may respond to all “emergency conditions,” either during or after a snowstorm. Any person who makes a false report of an emergency to an officer, official or employee of the County or who causes a false report to be so made shall be in violation of this Code of Ordinances. Service or the level or sequence of service shall be further suspended in the event the Governor, by proclamation, implements the State Disaster Plan, or the Chairperson of the Board, by proclamation, implements the County Disaster Plan. If such occurs, the County personnel and equipment shall be immediately subject to the direction of the Governor or the Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors.