Winter snow season is here and the city crews are prepped and ready to take on the snow and ice conditions in the city streets. The city’s Snow Policy was adopted by Council in 1997 and provides a policy on snow removal procedures for streets, alleys, parking lots, and sidewalks. The Policy delineates responsibilities of the public and sets expectations for city roles and responsibilities. A summarization of the policy, along with answers to frequently asked questions, can be accessed on the Kalispell website at www.kalispell.com/278/Snow-Removal or by calling Public Works at 758-7720.
Recently, Public Works has updated the website to include an interactive Snow Removal Map. The map details the snow removal priority routes, as denoted below, and the berm and haul routes.
Priority 1 - Emergency Routes will be plowed first when the city experiences more than 3 inches of snowfall. Additionally, Emergency Routes are sanded/de-iced/plowed daily as road conditions warrant.
Priority 2 - Regular Residential Snow Plow Routes will be plowed after emergency routes.
Priority 3 – Alley Routes. The Public Works Street Department, when time and resources allow, will only plow the alleys in order for the City Solid Waste equipment to service the garbage containers and for other Kalispell utility services.
In order for the city to plow 140 miles of streets there are 10 established routes, requiring 12 staff to operate equipment and 87 cul-de-sac/half moons, requiring 4 additional pickup plows. Snow removal operations generally will start at 4:00 am on snow events that accumulate 3 inches or more of snow on city roadways. The goal of the snow plow policy is to plow Priority Routes 1 and 2 within 48 hours of the end of a snow event.