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December 2010 |
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Patrick
Lacefield, Director | Bonnie Ayers,
Editor | |
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Montgomery County officials today announced the launch of a new, online
tool that will make it easier for residents to decide when to safely
venture out following a snowstorm. The map tool will show the progress of
snow plows throughout the County and indicate when emergency roads,
primary neighborhood streets and neighborhood streets have been cleared. A
zoom feature allows residents to focus on the plow status of their
immediate neighborhood and surrounding streets and then zoom out to check
on an entire trip route. "Following last year’s record-breaking snowfalls, I asked all our
departments to find ways to better communicate with residents during
storms," said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. "After looking at
commercial, online, map systems that track real-time status of snow
plowing operations, our departments of Transportation and Technology
Services decided that they could put together a far less expensive and
more effective tool that specifically meets Montgomery County’s needs. I’m
proud of their ingenuity and ability to deliver this tremendous aid to our
residents." Each road category, whether an emergency/main route or neighborhood
street, is designated on the map by a different color. Patterns are used
to show whether plowing has begun or not, is in progress or complete.
Residents are encouraged to consult the map before concluding their street
has been missed. The map includes a handy icon that allows residents to see road views
from any of the County’s nearly 200 traffic cameras. Also shown is helpful
information about the location of bus stops and Metro stations. The online
map system allows residents to easily report an intersection that needs
additional sand or salt, a missed street, or a damaged mailbox.
Since many roads in the County are not cleared by the County’s
Department of Transportation (MCDOT), it can be confusing for residents.
All State-maintained, numbered roads (such as Georgia Avenue, Maryland
Route 97 or Rockville Pike, Maryland Route 355) in the County are cleared
by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA). A link to information
from MSHA about their plowing progress is also available. Other departments, outside agencies and governmental jurisdictions also
have responsibility for plowing. They include the Montgomery County Board
of Education; the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning
Commission; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(Metro); municipalities; and homeowner’s associations. Commercial parking
lot owners plow their own properties and are prohibited from moving snow
into the street. During a snowfall, MCDOT works continuously to salt and sand nearly
1,000 lane miles of primary (arterial roads connecting subdivisions or
business districts) and secondary roads (main collector streets through
subdivisions) and keep them in "bare pavement" condition. This ensures
that in case of an emergency every County resident is within one-half mile
of a cleared road. As snow accumulations reach three inches, plowing
operations begin and all attention remains focused on keeping primary
roads clear to ensure emergency access. Once the snow stops falling and major roads are clear, crews then turn
their attention to snow removal from more than 4,100 lane miles of
neighborhood streets. It’s important for residents to understand that
MCDOT’s goal is to make these streets passable – not clear them to bare
pavement. The type of snow (wet or powdery), pavement temperature, ambient air
temperature, and wind conditions following a storm affect how quickly snow
can be removed. MCDOT offers these general guidelines:
A workforce of 200 employees with 175 pieces of snow removal equipment
and 180 contractors with 225 pieces of equipment work around the clock
until all County-maintained streets are passable. More resources may be
called in for exceptional storms. To view the online map system, go to
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SnowMap. | |
