Winter Snow Removal Services

Winter road crews work to accommodate the snow removal needs of our entire community. Snowplow operators clear snow from public roadways with the goal being to make all public roads in Truckee passable. We prioritize by supporting emergency response needs first, followed by clearing main arterial and school bus routes, all residential streets, and high-elevation areas subject to high winds.

The Department of Public Works monitors the weather and street conditions daily. When determining how to respond to weather events, Public Works supervision will make a professional judgment based on road conditions and various weather factors. Plow operations generally begin when snow accumulation is 4 inches or greater. Less than 4 inches of accumulation may or may not be plowed based on conditions.

Staffing

The Public Works Department is led by the Public Works Director and Street Maintenance Manager who oversees three Street Maintenance Supervisors, three Senior Street Maintenance Workers, eleven full-time equipment operators, and eighteen winter seasonal equipment operators. We have three designated work groups:

Day Plow Operations
Night Plow Operations
Sand Truck Operations

Shifts are staggered to accommodate a 7-day-a-week, 24-hour-per-day coverage schedule. All department personnel are available for snow and ice control operations as conditions warrant. The Town may utilize contract services to assist with the snow removal operations as necessary.

Service Methods

Snow removal operations are dispatched from the Town Public Service Center located at 10969 Stevens Lane, and the Tahoe Donner Shop located at 14528 Northwoods Boulevard. During a winter storm event, day plow routes begin at 6 am and night plow routes begin at 6 pm. Day sand route routes begin at 4 am and night sand routes begin at 4 pm. Snow removal crews will work an 8 to 12-hour shift as needed. Public Works has four service categories: Main Arterial and School Bus Routes, Residential Streets, Parking, Trails, and Sidewalks. Each category has different needs and snow removal methods. More information about each category is provided below.

Sand Routes

Main Arterials & Bus Routes

Sand routes are serviced by a combination of sand trucks, graders, and a brine truck. Sand and brine are only applied to main arterials and bus routes. The use of sand is limited to hills, curbs, intersections, and traditionally icy areas. The application of sand is done sparingly as to not adversely affect Town infrastructure, water quality, and the environment. Graders are used on an as-needed basis for snowpack removal on main arterials and bus routes as these routes are the most heavily traveled and accumulate more pack than residential streets. Brine trucks operate exclusively on sand routes in traditionally icy and high-traffic volume areas. Brine is primarily applied on designated roadways prior to forecast snow events. During snow events, sand routes are plowed continually. Please see the Winter Maps page for a map of designated sand routes.

Residential Streets

Loaders are used to plow residential streets to remove as much snow and ice as possible from the roadway and to create the greatest road width possible based on conditions. Streets are primarily plowed with a three-pass method; one pass down the center and two in each travel direction. On a wide road, a four-pass method may be used. As roads narrow, crews may shift to a two-pass strategy. Intersections and cul-de-sacs are cleared by loaders with snow being piled in designated snow pile locations. It is the goal of the Public Works Department to plow each residential street two times over a 24 hour period during sustained snow events. Depending on storm conditions and unforeseen circumstances, plow times on residential streets may vary. Please see the Winter Maps page for a map of designated plow routes.

Town-Maintained Parking Areas

Town-maintained parking areas downtown are plowed once per 24-hour period and are generally done so overnight. Snow cleared from parking areas is piled in designated locations throughout the downtown corridor. Snow piles are removed by Public Works crews and disposed of in offsite locations. The town-maintained parking area also includes several residential streets adjacent to downtown parking areas. These streets include Church Street, E Street, D Street, and School Street.

Post-Storm Cleanup

After each significant snow event, post-storm cleanup is required and may last for several days. Post-storm cleanup operations are as follows:

Continued application of deicing materials and/or sweeping up of deicing materials as needed.
Removal of snow from bridges and guardrails.
Off haul of downtown and other designated snow pile locations.
Removal of snow packed down on streets using graders and loaders.
Blowing of main arterials, bus routes and residential streets as needed.
Clearing of snow from signs and intersections.

Town Maintained Trails & Sidewalks

The responsibility for snow removal from sidewalks falls under three categories:

Town maintained due to no adjacent property owners;
Town maintained, but funded by adjacent property owner-approved special district funding
Owner maintained responsibility for snow removal placed on property owner adjacent to the sidewalk per the California Streets and Highways Code

Town-maintained trails and sidewalks are cleaned once per day after an accumulation of snow. Trails and sidewalks are primarily cleared with a blower, but may occasionally be plowed by small equipment. Blowers used on trails and sidewalks are similar to equipment used by private driveway contractors. Routes are serviced by the Facilities Maintenance Division of the Department of Public Works. Deicing/traction material will be applied as needed on curves, hills, and shaded areas.

The Town's trail system is a combination of privately and publicly maintained trails
Truckee River Legacy Trail from the Truckee River Regional Park to Glenshire
Brockway Road Trail from the Truckee River Regional Park to Martis Valley Road
The Frischman Hollow Trail connections from the Alder Creek Middle School to the TDRPD Recreation Center
89 South Round-Abouts Roadside Trails
89 North Round-Abouts Roadside Trails
Pioneer Trail Round-Abouts Roadside Trails
McIver Round-About Sidewalks
Martis Valley Road Round-Abouts Sidewalks
Commercial Row Sidewalks between McIver Crossing and Spring Street