Snow and Ice Management

Columbia Public Works is responsible for snow and ice management on designated city streets. There are 1,450 lane miles of city-maintained streets including 691 lane miles of first, second and third priority routes and 1,100 cul-de-sacs.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) presented the Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award to Columbia Public Works at the APWA North American Snow Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 24, 2017. 

City, County and State agencies are responsible for treating and plowing different roads and streets in the Columbia area:

  • Columbia plows and treats roadways within the City limits not covered by other agencies.
  • Boone County plows county roads which may be on or inside the border of the city limits.
  • The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) plows major state roadways which run through the city limits, such as Providence Road, College Avenue, Stadium Boulevard and others.

All agencies cooperate with a “plow down” policy regardless of which road jurisdiction a plow truck is on. (So if you see a truck with its plow up, there is a reason…for example a road treatment may have just been put down so the plow driver doesn’t want to remove it too quickly.)

Plow Truck Color Key
Agency COLOR Description
Boone County RED Boone County Resource Management trucks are typically red.
City of Columbia WHITE City of Columbia trucks are typically white.
State of Missouri YELLOW MoDOT trucks are typically yellow.

Winter weather policies and procedures

It is the City’s goal that all streets in Columbia be passable by a front-wheel drive vehicle as soon as possible when a winter weather event occurs. Approximately 520 lane miles of priority routes are plowed and treated 24 hours per day as needed during a winter weather event. Other streets are plowed and treated to a passable condition during business hours. When snow accumulates to 4 inches, though, all City streets are plowed and treated to a passable condition 24/7, once priority routes are near normal. 

The City of Columbia has more than 1,450 lane miles of streets including 1,100 cul-de-sacs maintained by City of Columbia Public Works. The high number of cul-de-sacs and lane miles makes it necessary to prioritize roads during ice and snow events.  Streets are prioritized by volume of traffic and to create a network of streets that connect neighborhoods to/from major roads, hospitals, schools, fire stations and commercial areas. These designated snow routes must be plowed/treated to a near normal condition. Winter weather events in Missouri can vary dramatically from one snow to the next, but generally speaking a typical response occurs in phases:

  • Treat/Pretreat bridges, curves, hills and intersections on priority routes.
  • Continuous operations on priority routes until near normal conditions are reached.
  • Once priority routes are near normal, ensure all streets are passable by a front-wheel-drive vehicle to facilitate access to the priority routes. (When snow is less than 4 inches, this is done during business hours. When snow is more than 4 inches, this is done continuously in shifts.)

Priority routes, neighborhoods & maps

Priority routes are plowed and treated 24 hours per day as needed during a winter weather event; other routes are plowed and treated to a passable condition during business hours. When snow reaches 4 inches, all of the City’s 1,418 lane miles are plowed and treated to a passable condition 24/7 once priority routes are near normal.  

There is no parking allowed on priority routes when snow accumulates 2 inches or more. Parking Utility staff do their best to warn drivers, but vehicles will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense if they are not moved. To be notified when it’s time to move cars off of priority routes, sign up for alerts (with text, email and voice notification options) at Alerts.CoMo.gov.

Road condition maps

 STREET OR AREA DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES
First Priority Routes

Major residential and arterial streets for public safety needs. There is no parking on these
streets if accumulation reaches 2 inches, by City ordinance.

e.g., Broadway, Green Meadows Road, Vandiver Drive

 

Second Priority Routes

Heavily traveled collector and residential streets for Public Safety and City/school bus routes as well as streets connecting to schools, hospitals and other critical areas. There is no parking on these streets if accumulation reaches 2 inches, by City ordinance.

e.g., Derby Ridge Drive, Fairview, Parkade
Third Priority Routes

To facilitate vehicle access to first/second priority routes as well as residential neighborhoods. 

e.g., Steeple Chase, Dunbar, Keystone
Priority Areas  Downtown Streets & Priority Neighborhoods

Downtown

State Response:
MoDOT Routes

Major roads in and around Columbia that are plowed and treated by the Missouri Department
of Transportation 

e.g. Highway 63, I-70, Hwy 163, Route B, Broadway, Business Loop 70, College Ave., Rangeline St., Stadium Blvd.

Parking alerts

Whenever snow accumulates more than 2 inches, any vehicle parked on a designated snow route must be moved off of the roadway or risk a fine of $100 plus towing and storage charges. The purpose of this rule isn’t to collect fines, though. (We’d prefer not to tow a single vehicle.) This critical ordinance allows plow drivers the space needed to do their work more quickly, efficiently and safely for everyone. To be notified when it’s time to move cars off of priority routes, sign up for alerts (with text, email and voice notification options) at Alerts.CoMo.gov.

Trash collection

Trash collection is managed by the City of Columbia Solid Waste Utility, a division of City of Columbia Utilities. The men and women of the Solid Waste Utility have a difficult job that is made more difficult by winter weather conditions. 

Cancellations

Should conditions become dangerous due to extreme snow accumulations or very dangerous wind chill temperatures, it is possible that collections may be suspended. Should that occur, the City of Columbia Utilities will issue press releases, social media posts, and perform additional outreach as needed to ensure our valued customers know when collections will resume.

Alerts/information

  • Solid Waste Utility Website – Residents can get the latest trash collection updates and find out the recycling and trash collection day for their address.
  • Solid Waste Social Media – Residents can get the latest trash collection updates and provide customer feedback.
  • Solid Waste Utility app – Residents can find out the recycling and trash collection day for their address and receive reminders on their phone.

Please do your part

  • If the forecast calls for snow the night before your collection date, please consider waiting until morning to set out your trash  so that it doesn’t get covered by snow and become difficult to see.
  • Place your collection materials as close to the street as possible.
  • Don’t set your collection materials on a patch of ice if possible.
  • Make sure your collection materials are not hidden beneath or behind snow banks.

Contact Solid Waste Utility, City of Columbia Utilities

Manager: Steve Hunt
Phone: 573.874.2489opens phone dialer
Email: [email protected]create new email

COMO Recycle and Trash app

City of Columbia Utilities has a phone app called COMO Recycle and Trash. Residents can find out the recycling and trash collection day for their address and receive reminders on their phone.

Sidewalks

There are 555 miles of sidewalk in the City of Columbia. We urge all community members to clear the sidewalks of snow and ice adjacent to their home or business. While it’s the neighborly thing to do, it is also a city ordinance that sidewalks be kept clear of obstructions such as snow and ice. Each year, wonderful volunteers from the community work with the private nonprofit group Services for Independent Living (SIL) to assist with snow removal on sidewalks and driveways. SIL serves low-income seniors and individuals who have a disability. Unfortunately, volunteers are currently stretched very thin and may not be able take on new applicants. So, if you see your neighbor needs help with their sidewalk, SIL asks that you consider reaching out to them and giving your neighbors a helping hand. If you are interested in volunteering or need assistance, you may contact SIL Volunteer Coordinator Madison Anderson at 573.874.1646opens phone dialer, ext. 223.

Please be a good neighbor and help in removing the snow and ice from our city’s sidewalks. Thanks for keeping our community safe and accessible for all.

  • If you are a tenant, ask your landlord who is responsible for snow removal. If you are expected to do the shoveling, see if your landlord will provide you a shovel and ice melt.
  • If you have a neighbor who needs help, offer to clear their sidewalks if you are able.
  • If you hire someone to remove snow from your property, make sure sidewalks are included in their work.

opens in a new windowCity of Columbia Code of Ordinances 24-12 – Sidewalks and the Property Maintenance code section 302.3 regulate obstructions to sidewalks. The penalty for violation of this ordinance may be up to $500 per day. Enforcement of snow covered sidewalks is complaint driven. 

Contact

Office of Neighborhood Services: or complete the Office of Neighborhood Services Reporting Form.  

Treatment method and materials

Facilities

LeRoy Anderson Salt Dome: Salt, road treatment materials and plow blades are stored at LeRoy Anderson Salt Dome, a gated facility at 1101 Big Bear Blvd. To visit this site, please call Public Works at (573) 874-2489 or email [email protected] for your safety and our staff’s.

Grissum Building: A gated facility, located at 1313 Lakeview Ave., houses the Fleet, Street and Traffic divisions of Public Works.

Road Treatments

When snow/ice is forecast, managers check pavement temperatures, monitor the forecast, and develop a plan to determine if pre-treatment of roadways will be beneficial and what methods of pre-treatment would be most beneficial. Each storm, while in some ways the same, is very different when it comes to determining a sound course of action. That is why our plans may vary from storm to storm.

Road Salt

The City of Columbia stores up to 5,000 tons of dry salt, mined in Hutchinson, Kansas. It is a clean, natural substance free of any man-made chemicals. Prewetted road salt is an effective winter weather tool, though it does have its limitations. Salt begins to lose its effectiveness when road temperatures drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Dropping below 10 degrees Fahrenheit can render it inert. Cloudy skies also inhibit salt’s ability by blocking radiant energy from the sun. 

Liquid Brine

In addition to dry salt, we also produce a liquid brine (salt water) solution which, when conditions call for, can be mixed into the dry salt to enhance the snow and ice melting capability of the treatment.

Calcium Chloride

Calcium Chloride is also used in various solutions at times to spread as a pre-treatment when snow/ice is forecast to prevent the snow/ice from bonding to the road and actually melting the snow/ice to a certain point.

Natural Beet Juice

We may also mix in natural beet juice which increases the stickiness of the liquid brine used to pre-treat roads before predicted snow falls. Beet juice helps the salt brine adhere and bond to the road surface to improve performance. The beet juice does have an odor which some people describe as mildly unpleasant. The odor quickly subsides once exposed to the elements.

Snow Fleet

During the winter months, Columbia Public Works re-purposes its equipment by adding snow plows and salt spreaders. Public Works uses more than 40 pieces of equipment for snow plowing operations and of those, 35 vehicles are equipped with plows and salt spreaders. In a major event, Columbia Public Works can scale up resources by reaching out to other divisions and departments in the City. 

Volunteer

Snow Angels needed please!

This a wonderful volunteering opportunity to help make your neighbors’ sidewalks safe.

Services for Independent Living (SIL) is often looking for individuals and groups who wish to assist their community.

If you can provide your resources to help those in need to remove snow and ice, please call the SIL today at 573.874.1646opens phone dialer.

Related resources

City services

City departments & divisions

Online reporting forms