February 6, 2023 |
Snow has been piling up at lower elevations throughout the winter, making interstate and even cross-town traffic difficult at times. In Rawlins, plow drivers are asking the public to be patient while they battle the drifts, sometimes around the clock.
Every year, the city staff prepares for a “normal” winter with snowfalls of six inches or less expected. A snow event with six inches or more accumulated in less than a day is considered a severe storm. Rawlins Public Information Officer Mira Miller said this winter has been especially harsh. She said she wants the public to know how the city handles snow removal and storage.
Pictured above: A motorist stranded near the CCHEC on Harshman Street in January 2020. Photo courtesy of Rawlins Department of Public Works/Streets Division.
Miller said the city has had to deal with an unprecedented amount of snowfall this season. With so much snow, Miller said plow drivers have been clearing areas they normally avoid. She said this has caused some public confusion.
Just as challenging as all the now is the the wind. Rawlins Public Works Director Cody Dill said after clearing the streets, the wind will blow the snow right back where it was.
To keep the roads open, the city was stacking snow wherever it could, like neighborhoods and medians. Dill said he’s still tackling the occasional drifts, but his focus is now on moving the snow into centralized locations.
Dill said he is trying to keep the main bus and emergency vehicle routes open using the city’s three plow trucks. With drivers working around the clock, he said the city has already removed several thousand dump truck loads of snow. The piles are dropped at out-of-town snow storage lots which, the public works director said are already filled up.
Rawlins has over 85 miles of residential streets. The plows prioritize the main thoroughfares so smaller, less-traveled streets haven’t been cleared yet. Residents have expressed concern about emergency access. Miller said the city will ensure ambulances make it to residents’ homes.
Staff have chosen not to plow 1,000 feet of Harshman Street between the Rawlins Recreation Center and the Carbon County Higher Education Center. Miller said the nearby open fields allow the wind causes constant drifting. She said the city would rather focus on more heavily traveled streets.
The city’s plow trucks also lay down salt. A thin layer of salt and dirt is used to create more traction on the icy surfaces. Dill said he’s used up about half of his available supply of salt already this winter.
The city street crews remind the public to drive carefully, especially around the plows. The high drifts limit visibility and make intersections more dangerous. The plow drivers are asking people to avoid areas where they are working if possible.
