ShawneeDispatch.com

With some forecasters predicting a chance of snow this weekend, city crews are preparing to plow and treat Shawnee’s 740 lane miles of streets this winter.

However, city officials said residents may notice some delays and should be cautious on the roads. In an effort to hold costs down while still providing reasonably high levels of snow removal services, this season’s plan incorporates several changes.

The most noticeable change will be the suspension of previous years’ curb-to-curb plowing policy on residential routes. Crews will make one pass in each direction — enough to provide a clear, safe lane for traffic — and only when snow accumulations reach two to three inches. For storms in excess of three to four inches, an additional pass will be made after the initial pass on all other streets.

Previously, crews have cleared cul-de-sacs completely on the first pass. This year cul-de-sacs will be treated the same as other residential streets and will not be plowed curb-to-curb. Both hills and bridges will be pretreated with rock salt or saline solution in advance of predicted storms for the expected precipitation.

Joe Mihelcic, field operations manager in the city’s Public Works Department, said response times for individuals and snow removal concerns might be somewhat longer than in previous seasons.

“I think our residents will be OK with these changes if they understand that we are trying to account for higher fuel costs and reduced staffing levels because of current economic conditions,” he said.

A detailed description of the Winter Snow Plan is available on the City’s Web site at cityofshawnee.org.