Before we tell you what the plan is for attacking this weekend’s snow event, we want to share some details that may help explain how and why we respond the way we do:
How many drivers do we have?
We currently have 15 snow plow drivers responsible for maintaining roughly 400 Township streets. In addition to Township roads, there are several County-maintained roads within Springfield Township that are plowed by Hamilton County, not the Township. A full list of Township-maintained vs. County-maintained roads can be found here:
https://www.springfieldtwp.org/174/Township-and-County-Roads
Why don’t we have even more drivers?
During most snow events, our current staffing level is adequate. These same employees are also our Public Works, Parks, and Fleet Maintenance crews the rest of the year. Hiring and carrying significantly more staff year-round for the possibility of a handful of major snow events isn’t an efficient or responsible use of tax dollars.
About salt and treatment:
Salt doesn’t work effectively once temperatures drop below certain levels, which is part of what makes this particular storm more challenging. We do use a liquid pre-treatment to help improve effectiveness and reduce environmental impact. Our mix is primarily salt brine with magnesium chloride, which is generally less corrosive than calcium chloride and allows us to use less overall material. That said, no product is perfect as cold temperatures and heavy snowfall still limit what any treatment can do.
Storm timing (a very Ohio thing):
We do our best to anticipate when storms will start, stop, and change intensity, but weather forecasts are forecasts, not guarantees. Timing shifts, and we have to adapt in real time.
Parked cars on streets:
We routinely receive complaints when cars are parked on the street during snow events. We understand that moving a vehicle isn’t always easy, but a parked car is still easier to move than deciding where several inches of snow will go once it hits a plow blade. When cars are left in the street, it prevents us from plowing curb-to-curb.
Driveways and mailboxes:
We know it’s frustrating when snow ends up in front of driveways or mailboxes. The snow has to go somewhere, and while our drivers make every effort to minimize this, each route takes many hours and conditions are constantly changing. A helpful tip: shovel snow to the right side of your driveway (when facing the street). This reduces the chance that plowed snow gets pushed back across your drive apron.
Why aren’t all crews out at once?
Often, they are. But for long-duration storms like the one predicted this weekend, we have to manage fatigue and safety. That means sometimes splitting crews into 12-hour shifts, with half on and half resting. This does mean we won’t be able to hit every street all at once like we might during a shorter storm and we appreciate your understanding.
What streets get plowed first?
At the beginning of the storm, our focus will be on main connector roads and high-priority areas, especially locations with hills and known topography challenges.
“I haven’t seen a plow in my neighborhood.”
If snow is still falling, it may look like we haven’t been through even if we have. In longer events, it sometimes makes more sense to wait until snowfall slows or stops rather than repeatedly plowing the same street while others remain untouched.
One last thing that matters:
These crews are working long hours, in the dark, in large trucks, on narrow neighborhood streets, often in poor visibility. Some choose to sleep at the Public Works facility so they can stay on rotation. They’re away from their families for days at a time during events like this. It’s a tough job and they take a lot of pride in doing it as safely and effectively as possible.
We’ll continue to share updates here throughout the weekend as weather conditions change and plans adjust. Thank you in advance for your patience, your flexibility, and your understanding.
UPDATE: 6:30 P.M.
Here’s how the plan looks right now:
•Saturday – 3:00 PM: All crews will begin pre-treating roads to get surfaces as ready as possible and help make plowing more effective once snow begins.
•Saturday – 7:00 PM: Crews will split. Half of the crew will go off duty to rest. Half of the crew will remain on duty and begin snow removal on main connector roads and priority areas.
•Sunday – 7:00 AM: The rested crew will return to duty continuing on the main connector roads and priority areas, and the overnight crew will go off to rest.
This 12-hour rotation will continue through the weekend to allow us to keep up with falling snow while maintaining safe working conditions for our crews.
•Monday: If conditions allow, our goal is to have the entire crew focused on clearing all Township streets, including neighborhood roads.
•Tuesday: Our plan is to begin work on business corridor sidewalks.
The current plan reflects a worst-case scenario based on what we know right now and is subject to change based on weather conditions, snowfall rates, temperatures, and any vehicle or equipment outages.
Because of the expected duration and forecasted conditions, we will be operating with our crews split into two teams to allow for rest, safety, and sustained coverage. This approach means that some neighborhood side streets may not be plowed at until early Monday, as our priority during the height of the storm will be keeping main connector roads and high-priority routes passable while snow is actively falling.
That said, we hope the snow event is of shorter duration than currently forecast, which would allow us to get to all streets much sooner.
Due to very low temperatures, our typical salt and liquid pre-treatment products may not work as effectively as they normally do. As a result, roads may not be down to bare pavement the way you may be accustomed to or the way we would want them to be even after plowing.
We hope we’ve deposited enough trust and grace into the community bank over time, because we may need to make a few withdrawals during this storm. We appreciate your support and will continue to provide updates here as conditions evolve.