Riding out the storm
Sun Staff February 1, 2011 12:52PM
Roadway Snow Removal
Department of Public Works employees will de-ice and plow roadways for as long as is needed using the city’s established priority plowing system. Main traffic routes and thoroughfares are plowed first followed by residential side streets and cul-de-sacs.
DPW begins plowing whenever two inches of snow have accumulated on paved surfaces and snow is still falling. DPW staff will monitor the downtown and the train stations with city contractors providing de-icing and plowing services on all sidewalks in that area, parking decks and parking lots.
To assist DPW crews residents:
Should not park on the street during a winter snow storm. Property owners are responsible for plowing commercial parking lots, driveways and public sidewalks adjoining their homes and businesses. Not keeping sidewalks clear is a city code violation.
Should shovel snow from driveways into the parkway, not the street. Shoveling snow into the street is a city code violation.
Should shovel out fire hydrants that are in or around their property.
Should uncover their mailbox.
Should help their neighbors.
- Current weather conditions
- Live radar
- Emergency weather closings
- Road conditions
- Real-time flight delays
- The Naperville Sun on twitter
Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM
In the middle of the storm, it is the job of Snow Command at Naperville’s Public Works Department to remain calm.
As the worst blizzard in more than 10 years hit Naperville on Tuesday, the center was a hub of activity, directing the plowing of more than 500 miles of snow-covered streets by dozens of vehicles including city trucks and those driven by independent contractors.
Run out of the Public Works facility at 180 Fort Hill Drive, the Snow Command center features a variety of gadgets designed to tame the workload brought on by Mother Nature.
On the wall is a projection showing the whereabouts of every snow plow in the city, allowing the coordinators to stay up-to-the-minute with the plowing and also redirect resources if needed.
Computers around the room show the storm in great detail as it careens through Naperville, and plenty of maps, charts and graphs are around to help in the battle against the snow.
Further back in the building in the garage area, mechanics wait for the plows to come in to be refueled and repaired. Such care is needed, given the 540 lane miles the city needs to plow, a distance equal to that between Naperville and Kansas City.
For this blizzard, each plow may run for almost 72 hours straight, except for refueling and to bring on a new driver every 12 hours.
Planning is the key to keeping traffic flowing as smoothly as possible during a blizzard, Public Works officials said. The goal is to keep the major roads clean so a majority of the traffic in town can keep moving. Streets out in the subdivisions have to wait their turn.
“There’s a lot of work to get done,” said Public Works Director Dave Van Vooren.
While the trucks and technology are indispensable in accomplishing that mission, the most important resource is still people, he said.
He noted that the blizzard is making for some very long days and nights for everyone at Snow Command, many working 12-hour shifts or more.
According to Van Vooren, many of the employees at Public Works are “forgotten souls” who put in long hours during very trying conditions. This includes the snow plow drivers, who will be out on the road for 12 hours straight working to keep the streets clean.
For their own safety, they are kept from working more than that. With the blizzard still blowing through Naperville, Van Vooren knows one thing for sure about his snow plow drivers.
“They will be worn out by Thursday afternoon.”
Ripple effects
The storm is wreaking havoc with schedules throughout Naperville. The city of Naperville has announced Wednesday’s garbage and recycling collection has been canceled. Garbage and recycling collection will occur one day later for the remainder of the week, with the Thursday collection occurring on Friday and the Friday collection on Saturday.
The city also has closed the upper levels of the parking decks on Van Buren and Chicago avenues to prevent vehicles from becoming stranded by the large snowfall. Stranded vehicles can make snow removal more difficult. The upper levels of these decks will remain closed until the snowfall stops and they can be plowed.
“Our biggest concern with this storm is ensuring motorists stay off the roads for their own safety, as visibility will be extremely low,” said Nadja Lalvani, community relations manager for the city. “If folks can stay home and off the streets, our snow removal operations will be much more efficient as well.”
Van Vooren said the biggest obstacle to snow plows are vehicles either abandoned or parked on the street. He is asking all residents to get their vehicles off the street during the storm.
City officials are also asking people to not call 911 for minor traffic incidents that can be reported during normal business hours at the police department. Residents with questions about road and city department closures should visit www.naperville.il.us instead of calling City Dispatch.
School issues
Schools in Districts 203 and 204 will be closed Wednesday due to the storm.
All after-school and evening activities in all buildings in both districts also have been canceled for Wednesday, including athletic competitions and practices, music programs and the YMCA Safe N Sound program.
The District 203 Administrative Center will closed through Wednesday. If school is canceled by District 203 on Thursday, a Talk203 message will be issued no earlier than 4 p.m. Wednesday.
District 203 students were instructed to take home what they needed, including winter apparel, books and instruments, as there will be no access to buildings once school is dismissed.
Students who receive bus services through District 203, including those who attend parochial schools and out-of-district facilities, will not be transported Wednesday. Students affected will receive an excused absence. There is no obligation for parents to transport these students to school. Transportation will resume when school is back in session.
For additional information and updates for District 203 schools, visit www.naperville203.org.
For more information on District 204 schools, visit www.ipsd.org.
North Central College closed at 4 p.m. Tuesday and will remain closed through Wednesday. All classes and events are canceled until Thursday. A decision will be announced by 6 a.m. Thursday regarding campus status for Thursday.
Other closings
Also closed on Wednesday are Naper Settlement and the Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry. People looking to pick up food from Loaves & Fishes may come from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday. For more information, visit www.loaves-fishes.org or call 630-355-3663.
Geoff Pounds, spokesman for the DuPage Senior Citizens Council, said the Meals on Wheels program will be shut down Wednesday. To compensate, the organization delivered two meals, one frozen, on Tuesday to the 800 DuPage County residents the program serves each day.
“We are into emergency mode,” he said. “We fully anticipate being back in service on Thursday.”
All three Naperville Public Library buildings — Nichols, Naper Boulevard and the 95th Street Library — closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday. To search the library catalog, access databases or the lists and services that are part of the library, visit www.naperville-lib.info.
For the latest weather updates, visit www.weather.gov/chicago. For more information on the city of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment