Snow Removal
Snow Removal
The Williamsport Streets Department employs a working supervisor, welder, mechanics, equipment operators, cement installer, dispatcher, sweeper operator, truck drivers, and laborer. The Department maintains 105 miles of streets and 50 miles of alleys. The Streets Department is responsible for:
- Plowing and salt spreading during snow/ice events
- Snow removal from the Central Business District and city parking lots
- Patching potholes
- Grading alleys and roadway shoulders
- Street sweeping
- Spring brush/leaves pickup
- Leaf pickup in the Fall
- Catch basin cleaning and rebuilding
- Cleaning the Central Business District
- Cleaning a recycling areas
- Clearing debris from 4 runs
- Repairing sinkholes
- Removing fallen trees from roadways
- Assisting with launching and removing the Hiawatha Riverboat from Susquehanna Park
- Maintaining our department vehicles and Williamsport Police vehicles, Codes Dept. vehicles, and some Fire Dept. vehicles
- Assisting with special events throughout the year
Snow Removal and Rain Storms
The City policy is to clear major arterials, collector streets, bus routes and ambulance routes, then secondary streets and finally alleys. When the snow has stopped and all these areas are open, the City plows again, pushing snow to within one foot of the curb. Every effort is made to avoid placing the snow back on the sidewalks or closing off driveways; however, sometimes this is unavoidable because of the weight of the snow and the force of the plow truck pushing it. Your patience is appreciated. If possible, wait until the trucks complete their final run pushing back the snow, before clearing your property completely. It takes approximately 8 to 10 hours after a storm has stopped to open up the streets and plow-back in a city the size of Williamsport.
It is the responsibility of the property owner to remove snow and ice from the sidewalk and crosswalks. (City Ordinance Article #733.01.)
Tips for clearing snow from your property after a storm:
- Do not shovel snow into the street. This is a code violation.
- Before clearing your driveway, wait until city crews have plowed the street, then open up your driveway plus an additional 10 to 15 feet in the direction of on-coming traffic. This allows snow accumulating on the truck plow to empty into that area and not across the driveway you have just worked so hard to open.
- Do not pile snow at intersections or at the front or rear of your parked car.
- Property owners have an affirmative duty to keep fire hydrants and storm sewer outlets and grates abutting their property as clear as possible. (City Ordinance Article #733).