City of Boulder Snow and Ice Response
StoryMap
Welcome! ¡Bienvenido!
The city's Snow and Ice Response program aims to provide safe travel, mobility and customer service for the entire community during winter weather. Clearing snow and ice in Boulder is a partnership between multiple departments and partners including the Transportation and Mobility Department, Parks and Recreation Department , Boulder Police Code Enforcement Unit , CU Boulder , CDOT and Boulder County as well as private property owners for adjacent sidewalks.
The Snow and Ice Response Program goals are to:
- Operate the program efficiently, effectively and safely, in alignment with city values
- Support safe travel for all modes of transportation
- Provide informative and timely communication to the community
How to Navigate
Scroll through the story from beginning to end to learn more about how the city responds to snow and ice. Skip to specific sections by using the navigation bar at the top of the webpage. This webpage is mobile-friendly but is best viewed on a computer.
Program Overview
Transportation and Mobility Department Snow Plows
When snow falls, the highest priority is to ensure safe travel for all modes of transportation and to maintain emergency response routes.
The Snow and Ice Response program is primarily the responsibility of the city's Transportation and Mobility Department, led by the Transportation Maintenance Division. The program supports the city's environmental, multi-modal travel, financial and continuous improvement goals to deliver a high standard of safety, mobility and customer service to the community before, during and after snow.
At a Glance: Snow and Ice Response Program
Streets, bus stops, multi-use paths, the bike network and shoveled areas maintained by the city’s Transportation and Mobility Department are typically impacted by snow and ice during the official “snow season” (October through May). Once a storm is forecasted, streets and paths are pre-treated to reduce the buildup of snow and ice, snow clearing equipment is readied and city staff are scheduled for 12-hour snow shifts. Crews work around the clock until streets and paths are cleared of loose snow and primary routes are returned to normal conditions. The following maps detail the current levels of service for the program:
- Major streets are prioritized into primary and secondary routes and cleared on a recurring basis depending on conditions such as traffic, time of day the storm begins and snowfall rate. Conditional routes are cleared after major storms and/or prolonged periods of forecasted below-freezing temperatures.
- The on-street bike network is cleared as part of primary and secondary routes. Certain bike facilities require specialized vehicles to clear snow due to the design of the street and so are cleared closely after the adjacent vehicle lanes are plowed.
- All multi-use paths are cleared during and immediately after snow events.
- The city contracts for shoveling services of certain crosswalks, bus stops and sidewalks adjacent to city-owned properties.
- Like most communities, sidewalk snow removal is the responsibility of the adjacent property as per Section 8-2-13 of the Boulder Revised Code (BRC) . This requires that sidewalks adjacent to both residential and commercial properties be cleared of snow and ice no later than 24 hours after snowfall stops.
Residential Streets
A 2013 voter-approved tax initiative provided additional funding that allowed the city to begin plowing select residential streets in predetermined areas with steep slopes or a lot of shade after storms with eight inches or more of accumulation and/or prolonged periods of forecasted below-freezing temperatures. Otherwise, the city doesn’t plow residential streets after snowstorms because motor vehicle activity and the sun typically make most residential roadways functional before city plows could get to them. This is consistent with other Front Range communities. The resources required to plow all of the hundreds of miles of residential roadways in the City of Boulder are well beyond what can be staffed and funded with existing resources. Additionally, since most residential streets are narrow, plows can only clear a single center lane, which causes large amounts of snow pile against parked cars and creates snow walls across driveways. As a result, it is difficult for people to access their vehicles or the road. Adding route mileage to clear snow from residential streets would also see more environmental impacts of increased snow and ice response – air quality, emissions, water quality and storm water infrastructure.
Streets
The city’s transportation system includes over 850 lane miles of major (arterials and collectors), local and residential streets as well as 90 miles of multi-use paths.
Partner agencies such as Boulder County and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are responsible for clearing snow and ice from some roadways in and around the city.
CDOT plows clear snow from some Boulder streets
The first tier of the city's service approach focuses on key arterial streets, including emergency access routes as well as access to hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure and transit. Snow crews in nine large plows return to these Primary Routes every 2-4 hours until the roadway is clear of loose snow and ice. Primary Routes constitute approximately 250 lane miles citywide.
Key streets like Canyon Blvd require large plows for snow clearing
The second tier of service are Secondary Routes to clear snow from the remaining arterial streets as well as key local and residential streets which need service because of and/or . Seven large plows clear approximately 200 lane miles of Secondary Routes every three to five hours during snowstorms.
Grateful Sled, a Boulder snow plow, clears snow on an arterial street
The final tier of service utilizes two plows to clear snow from select residential streets that are also impacted by steep grade and/or tree shade. These Conditional Routes constitute approximately 27 lane miles citywide and are cleared every six to eight hours when there is eight inches or more of snow and/or the temperatures are forecasted to be below freezing for three days.
Boulder snow plow Grateful Sled clears snow near Crestview Elementary
Plows circulate on Primary, Secondary and Conditional routes in parallel to clear snow from 63% of city-owned streets totaling over 400 lane miles. 95% of major streets maintained by the city and 33% of residential streets have service.
Multi-Use Path & Bike Network
The city’s multi-use path network covers nearly 90 total miles, of which the Transportation and Mobility Department maintains and clears snow from approximately 36 total path miles. The Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for over 23 miles of paths while snow removal of other path segments is handled by CU Boulder, Boulder County and private entities. For more details, click on a specific path segment.
The Goose Creek Multi-Use Path is cleared by smaller plows
The Transportation and Mobility Department clears snow from all 36 miles of paths it maintains during and after storms. Small plows are utilized to move snow from the multi-use path network as well as adjacent key connections.
A small plow clears snow from a key connection to the Goose Creek Multi-Use Path
This map illustrates the multi-use paths and on-street bike infrastructure that make up the city’s bike network. Approximately 75% of the on-street bike network is plowed through Primary, Secondary and Conditional routes. to see all plow routes that clear snow from the on-street bike network. Certain segments of the on-street bike network on narrow residential streets network would pose operational challenges if they were added to plow routes because plow turnarounds are limited and large amounts of snow pile can be created along parked cars and driveways.
Recently implemented and planned capital projects such as the protected bike lanes on Folsom Street require specialized plows like this Multi-Hog to clear snow
Shoveled Areas
The city contracts crews to shovel snow from over 200 locations, including 41 high-ridership bus stops and more than 100 high-activity curb ramps and pedestrian crossings. Multiple passes of these areas are typically needed before they are completely clear. This map illustrates all shoveling locations except for bus stops. Sidewalk snow removal is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner as per Section 8-2-13 of the Boulder Revised Code (BRC) .
Older adults and physically disabled persons who are unable to clear snow from their sidewalks may receive assistance through the Cultivate SnowBusters Program . Members of the community can also volunteer with the program to connect with residents who face challenges clearing snow from sidewalks around their homes.
Curb ramps and crosswalks like this one are shoveled rather than plowed
There are 575 bus stops in the city. The bus network includes multiple high-frequency routes that operate every 15 minutes or less. Many of our serve these routes.
Passengers board a bus at a shoveled bus stop on 28th St
and clear snow from over 100 bus stops. The city’s clear snow from 41 high-ridership bus stops with more than 50 passengers, on average, boarding and exiting per day. The city’s enlists volunteers to clear snow from the remaining bus stops. 29 stops are currently adopted throughout the city.
Click here to learn more about the Shovel-a-Stop Program.
Contracted crews shovel and de-ice at high-ridership bus stops
Pretreatment Products and Environmental Goals
When conditions allow, streets and paths are treated to help reduce the buildup of snow and ice. Snow crews may apply anti-icer products to streets before a storm to prevent snow and ice from bonding to streets and paths. If a storm starts as rain, pretreatment is ineffective because rain dilutes it and washes it away. The city uses several types of anti-icers and de-icers, including Salt Brine, Apex Meltdown and Ice Slicer RS. All products are designed to minimize the impact of snow and ice on vehicles and work as freezing-point depressants. Using these products helps minimize impacts to air quality, as no sand or other traction materials are used, which can increase air particulate pollution.
Students submitted names for 10 of the large plows
The department’s 15 large plows all use modern diesel engines that meet state air quality requirements and are fueled by biodiesel.
Resources
See these frequently asked questions for additional background information on the Snow and Ice Response program.
Inquire Boulder is available for community members to report snowy and icy streets, multi-use paths and sidewalks . Sidewalk snow and ice removal is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner and the city’s Code Enforcement Unit responds to service requests. More information can be viewed on the program webpage .
Snow and Ice Removal Requests received by Inquire Boulder between 2015-2022
