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Snow & Ice Control Plan
The primary goal of the Public Works Department is to provide the traveling public with the safest driving surface possible in an efficient and economical way with resources available to the Town of Wellington during snowstorms.
The Town strives to remove snow and ice from our roadways as quickly and efficiently as possible while keeping roads open and essential traffic moving. This does not mean bare and dry pavement should be expected after each snowstorm. The goal of snow and ice operations is to return road surfaces to safe winter driving conditions as soon as possible.
It must be recognized that each snowstorm has its own character with variable conditions, such as air and pavement temperatures, wind speeds and directions, precipitation rates and types, timing, duration, and traffic activity. This plan must remain flexible and take into consideration these variables.
Click here to view the full Snow and Ice Plan (PDF).
Click here to track snowplow activity during winter weather events.
You Can Help!
- If you do get stuck or slide off the road, please do not leave your vehicle stranded, arrange for it to be towed to a safe location. Town plow drivers will not pull private stuck vehicles out of ditches or snow drifts.
- Park your vehicle in your driveway.
- Do not allow your vehicle to hang out of the driveway onto the street.
- Remind your children to stay behind the sidewalks when they see the plow trucks coming towards them.
- Remove portable basketball hoops, hockey goals, skateboard ramps and other structures from the street. This will enable plow trucks to reach the curb and eliminate damage to the truck or portable structure.
- Shovel sidewalks within 24 hours after a storm.
- When cleaning driveways, sidewalks and parking lots, DO NOT put snow in the street or public right of way. Doing so can cause obstructions in the roadways and cause problems for other motorists or emergency services. Also please remove snow in flow pans and gutters to help eliminate ice backups in storm drains, it can cause drainage issues. When trucks are plowing snow and spreading material, stay back from the truck a minimum of 100 feet to avoid problems!
- Plow trucks may have to back up and there are blind spots in the mirrors; therefore, for your safety, do not pull up directly behind them. They may not be able to see you.
- Snow plow blades are generally wider than the vehicle they are attached to, in order to maximize the effort to clear the road. Plow trucks generally push snow to the right side. Never attempt to pass a plow truck on the right side when they are plowing snow, because that is the side the snow is being pushed to.
Residential Sidewalks
Residents are responsible for clearing all snow from their sidewalks and driveways within 24 hours after a snow fall ceases. When residents fail to do this, school children and pedestrians are forced to walk on either snow-packed and icy sidewalks, or out in the street itself. Either scenario can lead to serious injury. The owner or occupant shall be liable for any injuries and property damage incurred by any person as a result of the failure of such owner or occupant to comply.
- When shoveling your walk, please pile the snow on your lawn, not in the street. Piling or blowing snow into a public right-of-way is disallowed by Municipal Code because it can present a potential traffic hazard and can also block the flow of drainage.
- If your sidewalk is still icy after being shoveled, apply a de-icing agent available for purchase at most grocery, discount and hardware stores.
- If Town snowplows bury curb-attached sidewalks, on Priority 1 routes, during street snow removal efforts. Crews will not be deployed for sidewalk clearing until the storm has ended.
- To report an un-shoveled sidewalk, please call Code Enforcement at 970-568-9000, with the specific address. After providing ample notice to the offending residence, the Town may levy both a removal fee and a fine if it must clear such a walk.
All main arterials and collector streets are plowed and treated with de-icing materials until the storm subsides. Roundabouts, major intersections with traffic signal lights and stop signs are treated with de-icing materials. Critical facilities such as Police & Fire Departments and all schools are plowed & treated with de-icing materials.
Streets are heavily-used two lane collector streets, school bus routes and streets which serve commercial/industrial zones. (Some residential streets are identified as collector streets).
Once Priority 1 roadways are in good shape, snowplow trucks move on to plowing the loose snow from collector roads, while applying limited de-icing chemicals at the intersections. These plowed collector roads often remain snow-packed but are very drivable. This reduced level of maintenance on collector streets is because they carry far fewer vehicles, and travel speeds are much slower. It would require significant resources (i.e., lots of deicing chemicals and repeat plowing) to break through the snow-pack and bring the collector streets to bare pavement quickly.
All remaining streets/residential areas within the Town.
Per Front Range cities’ common practice, we do not plow residential streets except for heavy snowfalls (i.e., typically six inches or more). Most of our snow events land in the two to five-inch range, which two-wheel drive cars can easily manage. Unlike more northerly and easterly Snow Belt cities, we often experience ample sunshine and warmer days on the heels of our snow storms, which causes the remaining road snow to melt off. Please note any operators of private snow removal services not hired by the Town, but operating within the Town limits, shall completely clean all snow pushed onto the Town streets and be liable for all damages caused to Town or Private properties.