Local government units prepared for snow, ice

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- While every governmental unit is feeling the budget pinch, the three agencies responsible for keeping New Ulm area roads clear and safe for travel this winter are trying to not make it show in responding to ice and snowstorm emergencies.

New Ulm's street commissioner, Tom Patterson, believes budget cuts won't make a "significant" difference in his crews' response time.

Brown County Engineer Wayne Stevens is thankful that most of his department's revenue, $3 million, comes from budget-cut-proof gas tax funds.

"But, our revenue from local tax sources amounts to only $900,000, and we're expecting to lose another $200,000 next year."

In Minnesota Department of Transportation's District 7, plowing operations will begin as soon as practicable on all state highways, but the intensity of the plowing and the time needed to achieve bare lanes may vary by highway traffic category, District Engineer James Swanson said.

"Traditionally, we continued plowing operations until highways reached bare pavement. Now, depending on the time of day, day of the week and intensity of the storm, plowing operations may be suspended and resume later in an effort to limit our overtime costs."

The City of New Ulm has 210 Snow Emergency Route signs on order, but if the predicted snowstorm hits this weekend, "we'll be using the same, old barricades that we've used in the past in the downtown area."

Snow removal hours are 1 a.m. until noon, "and that won't change until the new signs arrive and are put up," Patterson explained.

The new signs are going to help ease the city's budget bite because "the barricades are much more labor-intensive so we're going to save money with the signs."

"We have 335 miles of county roads to cover with the equipment that we have. Of course, we have snow removal equipment stationed in four communities outside of New Ulm (to cut the response time)," Stevens explained.

These units are stationed in Hanska, Comfrey, Springfield and Sleepy Eye.

"It's a pretty good distance to Comfrey so that improves the response time, and we clean county roads and streets in most of these communities. We have county roads in New Ulm and Sleepy Eye, too, but we have an agreement with the street departments in which they keep those roads cleared in exchange for some of our gas tax funds," Stevens said.

MnDOT's snow-plowing target for two-lane rural highways carrying 2,000-plus vehicles per day is to achieve bare lanes within nine hours after the end of the snowfall or when blowing snow ceases.

Highways with 800 to 1,200 vehicles per day are to have bare lanes achieved within 12 hours after snow ends or when blowing snow ceases. Highways with fewer than 800 vehicles per day should have bare lanes within 36 hours after snowfall ends or when blowing snow ceases.

In case you're wondering, MnDOT says bare lanes mean all driving lanes are free of snow and ice between the outer edges of the wheel paths and have less than one inch of accumulation on the center of the road.