Which residential streets in the metro area will see snowplows

COLORADO, USA — It is snowing. A lot. So, will your residential street see a plow?

The short answer is it depends on your city’s policies.

The long answer is it depends on your city’s money and staffing.

The city of Denver will send residential plows out at midnight, meaning one pass down the center of residential streets.

In Thornton, where residential streets are plowed in “Class Three” storms, which are considered nine inches or more in 24 hours, the city will not send out plows into residential areas.

“We’re a ‘Class Two’ in Thornton. So, generally speaking, that means greater than a 12-hour duration storm event and 4-to-8 inches of snow. Four-to-eight, I didn’t want that to sound like 48 inches,” Brett Henry, Thornton Utilities and Infrastructure Director, said.

Even though the snow has been steady, but light during the day, the temperature is just warm enough to keep the snow melting on the pavement.

“Because the temperatures are hovering around freezing or just above freezing, it’s a lot easier storm to deal with than if we’re talking this type of thing in February where it’s, you know, hovering around 10 or 15 degrees,” Henry said. “The pavements holding a lot of heat still, and so it’s helping to melt.”

He said the city uses ice slicers on the roads, which works better in warmer temperatures.

“Everything that we’re putting down and using and plowing it is a lot more effective in a storm like today,” Henry said.

In the city of Centennial, residential streets will not see a plow.

The city’s policy is that unless it is a severe storm, the sun will help the snow melt on roads.

“The economic and environmental cost to maintain every street for every storm is not justified because warmer weather typically follows a storm and melting occurs naturally within a short period of time,” the city said in an FAQ on its website.

Centennial also does not have a sidewalk shoveling ordinance, so there is no requirement to shovel the sidewalk or punishment for not doing so. But be a good neighbor anyway.

“We’re here to talk about the snow and ice control plan, not a moment too soon. We’ve got some weather on the way this week,” Marc Tamburro, Aurora Street Operations Manager said on Nov. 4.

At a city council study session on Monday, Tamburro updated the council on the snow removal plan this coming winter.

“Category three and four storms are a lot less likely in our area,” Tamburro told the council.

The slide on the presentation that was shown at that moment showed “Category Three” storms as 6-to-12 inches of snow, and “Category Four” storms bringing more than a foot.

Aurora is in “Category Two,” which on the chart shows 2-to-6 inches of snow.

Category Two is actually better from a road clearing standpoint. Main and secondary roads are cleared under Category Two. In Category Four storms, the focus is only main roads before other roads are considered based on progress.

Which roads are main and secondary and residential in Aurora?

If you have time, and in a winter storm you have time, you can read for yourself in the city’s 74-page snow plan.

The plan also details specific hospitals and nursing facilities that need to have snow cleared for emergency access.

Parker’s snow plan is 11 pages.

The town has snow routes through downtown, which means no parking is allowed during a severe storm. However, the town has not towed any vehicles for this storm or recent storms.