Winter’s Almost Here; Plainfield Preps for Snow

The weather has been mild — and even unseasonably warm on a few recent days — but make no mistake: winter is coming.

The Village of Plainfield says it’s ready for a snowfall, and is reminding residents of its snowplowing procedures, which go into effect anytime there is a snowfall.

In addition to the village's existing overnight parking policy — which prohibits on-street parking between 1 and 6 a.m. year-round — parking is prohibited on Plainfield streets any time snow reaches a depth of three or more inches until the streets have been plowed and the snow has been removed.

Under the village snow policy, any time snow begins to accumulate, trucks begin applying salt to roadways starting with main traffic routes.

According to the village website:

We try to clear these routes before rush hour whenever possible.   The timing of the storm can cause delays for the plowing crews, residents, and normal traffic flow.  Upon completion of the primary roads, salting of major collector streets begins; these are main streets through subdivisions, roads that link with main roads, and streets with schools. 

When snow accumulation hits two or more inches, plowing begins, again starting with main roads and continuing with collector streets and residential streets:

As salt trucks continue to work on plowing their primary and arterial streets, other snowplow trucks begin to work on side streets.   Alleys, cul-de-sacs, and dead ends are done towards the end of the storm due to low traffic volume.   The last task is pushing back corners, cleaning up areas where cars may have been parked, and one last check through the entire route to re-salt and plow where necessary.  This operation will last about 14 to 18 hours after the last of the snow has fallen.   It is important to remember that excessive amounts of snow, extreme drop in temperatures, heavy wet snow, blowing and drifting snow, and equipment breakdowns will increase this time frame.

To read the entire policy, click here.

The village also offers the following helpful shoveling hints:

• Shovel driveway aprons only after the roadway is completely cleared. This will eliminate the need to shovel them more than once. 
• Pile all the snow away from the edge of the road, on the left side of the driveway as you face the house. Should the snowplow pass by again, after you have shoveled, this will prevent the plow from pushing the snow back into your driveway. 
• Do not push snow into or across the street. This may result in that same snow being deposited in your neighbor's driveway, if the snowplow should make an additional pass. 
• Clear snow and ice from the walk adjacent to your property. This makes pedestrian travel safer and easier. 
• Clear snow away from fire hydrants to permit easy access, in case of an emergency.

For winter weather updates from the village, follow the public works department on Facebook (Plainfield IL Public Works) and/or Twitter (@PlainfieldILPW). The village also has a snowplowing hotline: 815-609-6145.