Kansas City-metro cities share plans on how winter storm will be handled

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - City workers have spent the week preparing for the significant winter storm that is expected to impact Kansas City this weekend.

This is how individual cities have told KCTV5 they plan on handling the storm.

KANSAS

Leavenworth

Crews in Leavenworth pretreated roads with a salt brine solution to help keep snow from bonding to the pavement. The city warns travel will likely be impacted, even with the treatment already on the roads.

Plow and salt truck drivers are working 12-hour shifts through the storm.

ALSO READ: Near-blizzard conditions expected this weekend with winter storm

To clear streets as quickly as possible, the city asks people to move their cars off streets before the storm arrives. The city says this is especially important for people who normally park along emergency snow routes. The routes are marked with the following signs.

If the city declares a snow emergency, cars parked along emergency snow routes may eventually be towed at the owner’s expense.

The city also warns the de-icing materials crews use become less effective when temperatures drop below 20 degrees. Forecasted lows next week will be around zero. That means roads will continue to remain icy.

Leawood

Leawood says it has 447 lane miles of roads to clear. The city has about 7,000 tons of salt stored and ready to use.

ALSO READ: KDOT, Kansas municipalities prepare for incoming winter storm

Leaders have divided the city into 10 districts to prioritize and manage the snow removal effort.

• First Priority: Arterial roadways
  • Heavily traveled north-south, east-west cross-city routes and thoroughfares
  • Continuously plowed and treated with deicing material until clear
• Second Priority: Collector streets in residential areas
  • Streets providing primary access to arterial streets
  • Snow removal begins after First Priority streets are cleared or once snow stops
  • Plowed and treated with deicing material when temperatures are below 32°F
• Third Priority: Local residential streets
  • Snow removal starts after First and Second Priority streets are cleared
  • Generally plowed shortly after the snow event ends and treated with deicing material

Areas such as hills, steep intersections, and bridges will be continuously plowed and treated during the storm according to the city.

ALSO READ: Southern portion of Kansas City metro prepare for potential snow storm

For snows more than three inches, the city will deploy 17 vehicles, including Public Works and Park Maintenance equipment.

The goal is to have all streets cleared within 24 hours of the snow stopping.

Lenexa

Lenexa crews will work 12-hour shifts to clear snow and ice from streets during the weekend storm.

• Major streets plowed first
• Residential streets
• Goal is to have all streets plowed within 48 hours after the storm ends

Overland Park

Overland Park began preparing for the weekend storm Thursday. Trucks and plows are loaded with salt and ready to hit the streets when the storm arrives.

Crews also spent the day Friday putting down salt on residential streets. Salting will happen on the main city streets starting Saturday morning. That will continue until the ice and/or snow begins to fall.

ALSO READ: Kansas City libraries serve as warming centers for incoming winter storm

One of the big concerns is the rain that arrives on the front-end of the storm. The city is concerned that it will wash away any pretreatment that is already on the streets.

The city’s plan is to treat the streets into the night Saturday and during the day Sunday.

Residents can check the city’s online snow map to see the latest street conditions. The map is available at opkansas.org.

MISSOURI

Blue Springs

City staff in Blue Springs has prepared for the impending storm, according to a city spokesperson.

ALSO READ: Independence retirement community prepping for snow storm

The following information is how the city said it would approach the storm.

• Pretreating Roads
  • Crews will begin pretreating roads at 12 p.m. Saturday.
• Crew Rotations
  • Crews plan to rotate every 12 hours throughout the storm
  • Ensures continuous coverage
  • Operations will continue until the storm ends and streets are cleared
• Updates
  • The city is expected to provide updates every 12 hours once the storm arrives
  • The first update is scheduled at 7 p.m. Saturday, and then again 7 a.m. Sunday

Independence

Independence crews started pretreating streets earlier this week.

The city plans to rely on a number of things during the storm, including sensors that are embedded into streets.

The sensors measure pavement temperatures as well as the salinity on the pavement. The information from the sensors help the city decide how to treat the roads and where staff needs to go.

Crews installed the sensors about two years ago and estimate the system has already saved the city about $165,000.

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