Flurry of snow events keeps DPS busy in Madison Heights

MADISON HEIGHTS — By the end of January, the city of Madison Heights had already declared 22 snow events and one snow emergency, with more possibly on the horizon.

“DPS did a fantastic job clearing snow from our streets during the latest snow emergency,” said Madison Heights Mayor Corey Haines, referring to the city’s Department of Public Services. “They worked around the clock, keeping up with the snow as it continued to fall.”

Sean Ballantine, director of the DPS, said that a snow event is defined as any time road conditions have deteriorated and DPS is called in to plow and/or salt. Police patrol officers are usually the first to notify dispatch that roads have become slippery. Dispatch then contacts DPS, and crews are mobilized.

But to do their work well, the crews need room to drive around other vehicles.

“When a snow emergency is declared, removing vehicles from the street is paramount,” said Ballantine in an email. “This not only allows us to efficiently plow curb to curb, but it makes conditions safer for our plow truck drivers. Plow trucks are large vehicles, and they do not maneuver well. The fewer obstacles they need to avoid, the better.

“Vehicles left on the street force plows to weave around them, which leaves snow and ice behind, narrows the roadway, plows in vehicles, and results in uneven or incomplete plowing,” Ballantine said. “Therefore, we do not typically plow neighborhood streets without calling a snow emergency.”

Each event involves four major road drivers, a fifth truck managing the industrial subdivision and access for the police and fire departments, and a loader operator for salt. There are also crews called in to salt and plow parking lots, entrances and sidewalks at city facilities.

But each snow event is different, and with that, so is the level of response. Light snow may require just a few rounds of salt, while heavier or prolonged snow may require plowing or multiple trucks working in tandem.

Major routes are plowed and salted first, maintaining access for emergency vehicles, transit and the highest traffic volumes. Once those are cleared down to pavement, crews shift to school bus routes and key connector roads within subdivisions.

Residential roads are plowed and salted last, usually only if snowfall exceeds 4 inches. They are monitored for safety and drivability and are addressed as needed.

“The goal is to ensure that residents and emergency vehicles are never more than a few blocks from a plowed and salted route to the major roads,” Ballantine said.

At the city’s disposal are five tandem-axle dump trucks, and three single-axle dump trucks as frontline salting and plowing vehicles. An additional tandem-axle dump truck is available to help with plowing, along with several smaller dump trucks and pickup trucks. DPS staff handles it all without the use of outside contractors.

“A challenge this year has been the extremely cold temperatures, which render salt and brine much less effective,” Ballantine said. He noted that the city is using rock salt for deicing and snow removal while the DPS works on replacing its brine-making system.

He also said that salt usage is up this year, but the city has plenty in reserve, with about 700 tons left in the dome at the DPS yard, and another 800 tons in the process of being delivered.

“This is the first normal winter we have seen in several years. Unlike recent seasons where snow often fell and melted within a day or two, we are experiencing conditions where snow is sticking around and accumulating. That naturally makes winter maintenance more visible, and at times more challenging,” Ballantine said.

“Even so, the city has one of the finest and most dedicated crews I have ever worked with, and they remain up to whatever challenge the winter throws at us,” he said. “Our No. 1 priority is keeping our roads safe and passable — not necessarily bare pavement at all times — and we take great pride in doing so.”