Snow Removal
How We Plow
Winter in Missoula can be long and unpredictable. During the heart of the winter season, Street Division crews plow snow and apply deicer and sand around the clock to keep streets as safe as possible.
Crews begin plowing snow once 2 inches of snow accumulates on the streets.
The Street Division’s Snow Removal Priority Plan outlines the order in which our crews plow the streets. The priorities are determined according to traffic volumes, steepness of hills, public transit routes, proximity to schools, and access to businesses.
- Priority Routes
- Priority 1 and 2 Streets are plowed first and in that order and according to our Snow Removal Priority Routes Map.
- Driving lanes and bike lanes are plowed first.
- The goal is to have all Priority 1 and Priority 2 streets and school and public transit routes plowed and deiced or sanded by 7:30 a.m. before the morning rush-hour traffic.
- Our ability to achieve this goal depends on how much snow we get and how long the snow storm lasts.
- Priority 3 streets will be plowed once 1 and 2 are completed.
- We try to have all remaining priority streets plowed within three working days.
- Additional Cleanup Work
- After driving lanes, bike lanes, and middle turning lanes have been cleared on all three priority routes, units may return to do additional cleanup work.
- Priority 1 and 2 Streets are plowed first and in that order and according to our Snow Removal Priority Routes Map.
- Residential Areas
- Snowplowing in residential areas (not on a priority route) is performed by five pickup trucks with mounted plows.
- Residential areas are divided into five areas with one pickup plow clearing each area.
- Crews vary where they start in each residential area so that each side of an area gets to be cleared first. So, for one snow event a street may be cleared first, but during the next snow storm, that street may be last.
- Crews plow between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Weekend plowing may be done in response to severe events resulting in an accumulation of 6 inches or more of snow within 24 hours.
- City crews will not remove snow berms deposited in front of driveways, mailboxes or around cars parked on streets unless the berms are substantially higher than adjacent berms.
Deicer will generally be applied as streets start to get slippery and vehicles begin having difficulty getting traction. Pre-application of deicer will be used in circumstances where advancing storms can be accurately predicted.
Deicing will begin with the Priority 1 streets unless an emergency request from the Missoula Police Department is received. When such a request is made, the employees assigned to that area will proceed to sand/deice the location requested according to the sanding section of this Plan and then return to the priority system they were working on. Liquid deicer application methods are regulated by ground speed controllers (Appendix M) and are intended to: 1. Control rates of application 2. Apply deicer products at a rate not to exceed thirty (30) gallons per lane mile
The use of deicers is dependent upon effective temperatures and freezing point:
- Below 10°F, granular deicer chips or sand may be applied in lieu of deicer in accordance with this Plan.
- With snow accumulations of 2 inches or more, deicer will be applied only after the street is plowed.
Effective snow removal and plowing of snow on city streets is a cooperative effort by both the City's Streets crews and residents.
- Residents are required to place their shoveled and plowed snow on their own property and not in the bike lanes or the street. This is in accordance with Missoula Municipal Code.
- When shoveling snow, residents must not place snow on or around fire hydrants. Instead, make sure they are clear of snow so that they are accessible by Fire Department and Missoula Water staff.
- The City depends on residents to remove the plowed berms in front of driveways, cars, and mailboxes. We understand that clearing berms is inconvenient, but it is unfortunately a byproduct of snowplowing.
- Residents or contractors who choose to plow public rights-of-way must comply with traffic laws and use proper safety equipment when moving snow on City streets. Private snowplow operators must not deposit snow or ice in such a way that it obstructs traffic lanes, bike lanes, or access to any fire hydrant.
- If possible, please avoid parking on the main street.
- Your cooperation helps keep the streets safe for travel.
8 Deicer Plows
8 Sander Plows
1 Sander/Ice Slicer Only Unit
5 Pickup V-Plow and Deicer Tank
2 Graders
4 Front-end Loaders
1 Deicer Unit
1 Snow Blower Loader
1 Snow Blower with Snow Broom & Snow Blade (Bobcat)
City Streets crews perform snow removal on 337 miles of city streets that are divided into the following routes:
- Priority 1 routes—84 miles (24.9%),
- Priority 2 routes—85 miles (25.2%),
- Priority 3 routes—32 miles (9.5%), and
- Maintained residential streets—136 miles (40.4%).
Did You Know?
- The Street Division plows bike lanes:
- Bike Lane Map (PDF)
- A pickup-mounted plow and deicer system is dedicated to plowing and deicing the full length and width of the bike lanes on our Priority 1 streets.
- Washing your car every couple weeks during the winter, when temperatures allow, is a good practice to remove road grime.
