Winter Weather Report

W I N T E R W E A T H E R

PUBLIC WORKS PREPARES BEFORE THE SNOWSTORM

The El Paso County Department of Public Works (DPW) plays an important role in the county’s response to winter weather and dedicates much of the fall to preparing for snow season. Part of that preparation is Public Works’ annual Snow Week during which employees spend an entire week inspecting and conducting training on snow and ice removal equipment as well as sharpening their skills by running through various ice and snow response scenarios to ensure they are prepared and ready for winter operations.

BEFORE THE SNOW FALLS

Ahead of every storm, as a proactive antiicing approach, the El Paso County Department of Public Works pretreats roads, bridges, and overpasses with salt brine which is a mixture of salt and water. The reason for using salt brine ahead of every storm is to decrease the likelihood of snow and ice bonding to a pavement surface as well as preventing frost from forming on pavement surfaces. Pretreating pavement surfaces with salt brine is a much more cost-effective alternative that only requires one-quarter to one-fifth the amount of salt required for deicing after a snow or ice event has occurred. Once the salt brine is applied and dry, it creates a layer that prevents the ice and snow from freezing to (or icing onto) the pavement surface making it easier for snowplows to remove. In other words, it works like non-stick cooking spray by preventing the ice from sticking to the pavement. For those concerned about how salt brine might affect their vehicles, DPW adds a rust inhibitor to their salt brine to protect drivers’ vehicles.

El Paso County's diverse terrain and proximity to the mountains can cause a wide range of storm and road conditions in any given area. When a snow or ice storm occurs, El Paso County has limited resources and uses the following priority system for plowing 1,100 miles of paved roads:

Priority 1 Roads: Major arterial roads that service a lot of traffic, and more importantly, emergency vehicles, public transit, school buses, etc.

Priority 2 Roads: Collector roads that provide access to major arterials from residential neighborhoods, commercial areas and residential roads located at higher elevations that have significant grades and/or are located in forested areas with reduced exposure to the sun.

Priority 3 Roads: All other paved roads (residential/cul-de-sacs) not included in Priority 1 or priority 2 classifications. Plow operations will commence when priority 1 and 2 roads are passable for winter driving conditions.

For a full list of County roads and their priority level, visit the following County website:

https://publicworks.elpasoco.com/road-bridge/snow-plowing

El Paso County does not have a “bare pavement” ice and snow removal policy. What this means is that bare pavement is not required for a road to be safe for winter driving conditions. Snow covering a road does not necessarily mean the road must by plowed. For any given road condition, it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure their vehicle is equipped with proper tires (or chains/cables) and is driven at a speed that is safe for the road condition.

AFTER THE STORM

DPW will continue to monitor County roads and intersections even after a storm has passed and address any issues that might arise from snow being blown onto roadways or from melting snow and ice that refreezes due to decreases in temperatures.

Residents and business owners are reminded of the following:

El Paso County is committed to keeping roads as safe as possible using all available resources. Due to the diversity of terrain in El Paso County, weather impacts may vary widely even in localized areas. Snow covered and/or slick roads are not unusual in El Paso County or Colorado. Significant snow events of 4 to 6 inches are very passable for drivers who are prepared and have prepared their vehicle for the winter.

It is your responsibility to clear all sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of an ice or snow event.

It is your responsibility, after plows have cleared the snow from your roadways, to remove any snow that might get deposited on your sidewalk or at the end of your driveways. Please see this link for techniques on how to reduce the amount of snow that might get deposited at the end of your driveway:

https://www.codot.gov/travel/assets/driveway-snow-removalflyer _ statewide _ 2020.pdf

Colorado law (Statute 43-5-301) prohibits the plowing, blowing, shoveling or otherwise placing of snow onto public roadways and right-of-way (ROW) areas along the roadside.