Montana can have beautiful, warm winter days that, without warning, may drop 50 degrees accompanied with rain, slush, snow or ice- a true challenge for any maintenance crew!

This describes the City of Bozeman's snow and ice control policy and snow removal policy.  A map showing the City's priority snow routes and which agency- City, County, or State- is responsible for plowing streets within city limits is also included. Priority snow routes are cleared of snow first followed by business and residential streets.  Snow Route Map

The City of Bozeman Street division accepts the challenge to respond to every winter storm with an organized, timely method.  The street Division's goal is to keep the greatest amount of traffic moving as possible during and after all snow storms.  We realize it is not realistic to have a bare pavement policy, but we do our best to keep snow off streets and to sand all controlled intersections.

During the winter, Street Division employees monitor weather and street conditions daily.  Street conditions will vary after each snow storm due to temperature, wind, snow moisture content, and snowfall amounts.  Street Division personnel are on call 24-hours a day to sand and plow  over 180 miles of roadways in city limits.  Over 42 miles of streets are designated as priority snow routes requiring immediate and, sometimes, continuous plowing and sanding.

When a snowstorm hits, plowing or sanding operations begin, possibly as early as 3:00 a.m., and continue throughout the day maintaining snow routes, as shown on the map, to increase the safety of the motoring public.  Priority routes are plowed first. Crews then concentrate on commercial and business areas and, finally on residential portions of town.  Driving lanes are cleared and, as time permits, snow is plowed to the curbs on most streets, unless vehicles are parked in the way.

Snow and ice control is financed through the City's Street Maintenance and Gas Tax funds.

Sanding Procedures

Until enough snow has fallen to plow-at least 2"- sanding trucks will maintain all priority routes and heavily traveled intersections by spreading a mixture of sand and 10% salt, which is needed to keep the sand from freezing to the road surface.  Unless a massive snowfall mandates sanders to return to priority routes, sanding will continue throughout the day until all controlled intersections have been completed.

Plowing Procedures

To help crews plowing after a snowstorm, we request citizens to not park vehicles on priority snow routes.  This allows crews to plow quickly and safely without the added concern of damaging or plowing in any  vehicle parked along these routes.

The Street Division operates four motor graders, five plow trucks equipped with sanders, and one liquid de-icer trucks.  Plows and motor graders with snow gates plow snow to the curbside.  Front-end loaders with 2-way plows are used on narrow or short streets, such as cul-de-sacs.

Snow Emergencies

During a severe snow storm, the City Manager may declare s snow emergency and residents will have 48 hours to move all vehicles from designated snow routes.  Ambulances, fire, and police vehicles could lose vital minutes needed to respond to emergencies if they encounter vehicles parked or stalled in streets.  Plowing operations are also impeded.  The City may have these vehicles towed, at the owner's expense, if conditions warrant.

Snow Removal

In the downtown business district where windrowed snow accumulations block pedestrian access and driving land widths, snow removal may be necessary, especially when windrowed heights exceed 24".  When snow removal is needed, Street Division crews will use large snow blowers and front-end loaders to fill dump trucks with snow for transport to and approved stockpile area.  Snow removal is normally done during early morning hours to reduce traffic interruption and to increase operational efficiency and safety.

Chemical De-icing Procedures

City policy allows a minimum amount of salt to be mixed with sanding material to prevent stockpiled sand from freezing and to help sand stick to a cold road surface during application.  The City also uses a liquid de-icer to help with snow and ice removal operations.  This product is widely used and has been adopted by many state highway departments and municipalities throughout the Northwest.  The liquid de-icer allows the City to use less sanding material which minimizes sweeper cleanup time and environmental concerns in the spring.  The City's goal is to use  a minimum amount of de-icer to provide maximum safety for the driving public.

Sidewalk Snow Removal

At times, snow may be plowed from streets on to sidewalks, or in front of driveways.  We realize this is an inconvenience and we do our best to minimize these situations.