City map details snow removal plans

When the snow falls this winter, the city of Santa Fe wants you to know: Your street is on the list. Well, probably. The city last week promulgated its 2018 “snow and ice plan,” an outline of how city crews will plow and “sand” municipal roadways during and after storms and in which order.

The plan divides the city into five sections and prioritizes streets. First-priority streets include much of Rodeo Road, Zia Road, Alameda Street and Agua Fría Street.

Heavy-traffic roadways like Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive are maintained by the state Department of Transportation. Streets not listed with a priority, like many residential neighborhood streets, are considered priority four.

Because it is not “economically or physically feasible” to maintain every city street, the city policy is to hit the major roadways to “safely move the majority of the city’s traffic and to provide access to police, fire stations, hospital and major medical facilities, senior centers and schools.”

Once 2 inches of snow have accumulated, city crews will hit the streets. When storms are lighter, crews will apply “sand” — in fact a mix of crushed lava rock and rock salt, according to the city — to known problem areas, such as hilly terrain.

The city’s Streets and Drainage Maintenance Division maintains 12 plowing trucks in its fleet. There are two additional trucks and backhoes that can be used in smaller areas and two trucks belonging to different departments that can be called on in an emergency situation. The plan is unchanged from recent years, said City Streets and Drainage Director Javier Martinez.