With weather forecasts expecting rain and the possibility of snow late Friday evening (January 14) and into Saturday (January 15), the City of Salina is making preparations to pre-treat roadways with salt and Magnesium Chloride brine (MgCl2), treat initial accumulations of snow with salt and MgCl2, and if necessary plow roadways.
According to the City, salt spreaders will be loaded Friday and ready to treat roadways either late Friday evening or on Saturday as roadway conditions merit. Crews are divided into day and night shifts to allow continuous 24-hour operations.
The general rule is when snow accumulates or begins windrowing between lanes to a depth of 1” to 1.5” on arterials and collector streets and temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for the next 12-hour period, minimally the following streets will be plowed:
- Ohio Street
- 9th Street
- Belmont Boulevard
- Crawford Street
- Centennial Road
- Magnolia Street
If snow accumulations are greater than 1.5” in depth, all arterial and collector streets will be plowed. If accumulations exceed 2” in depth, snow will be plowed in residential areas once arterial and collector streets have been plowed.
The public is asked to minimize travel during snow storms as much as possible. If travel is necessary, please be sure to clear your vehicle’s windshield and windows to improve visibility and your roof to reduce the amount of blowing snow for other motorists. Please allow extra stopping distance at intersections or between vehicles on the roadway.
The public is asked to also allow ample space when approaching snow removal equipment from behind, as the equipment will be distributing salt, which may cause limited visibility as snow is being removed from the roadway. Driving too closely to snow removal equipment could also present additional challenges and safety concerns for operators and other motorists.
For additional information on the storm or snow removal operations, please visit the City’s website at http://salina.ks.us/, the City’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/salina.ks.gov/ or call the General Services office at (785) 309-5750.
