Snow Management, Mitigation, and Removal Information
Priorities for Clearing
In the city, priorities for clearing are in the following order: major streets, Valley Metro bus routes, and then neighborhood streets.
The city’s goal is to have 95% of major streets and Valley Metro bus routes cleared within 24 hours after the snowfall ends. The goal is to have 90% of neighborhood streets cleared within 24 hours after major streets are cleared.
During major events, crews may not be able to work on any neighborhood streets for up to 24 hours after the snowfall stops.
Help From Citizens
To give crews a better opportunity to clear snow from the streets, citizens are asked to park in a driveway if possible. If you can’t do that, and parking presently occurs on both sides of your street, park on 1 side of the street only (the side with the odd-numbered houses). Please do not park directly across from another car, it creates a bottleneck and can slow down the process or even prevent a plow from clearing the street.
Communications
- Social Media - During winter weather, the city will update its City of Roanoke Facebook page regularly with snow removal updates, travel and weather alerts, as well as photos of what's happening in the city.
- MyRoanoke - During a snow event, a number of news releases are sent to residents through MyRoanoke. Click here to sign up.
- Local Media - The city provides updates to the media during and after a snow event on road conditions and other weather related issues.
Important Numbers
It’s important to have certain numbers handy during a storm. Please remember:- For general information on the status of road conditions or to report a street that needs to be plowed use the Citizen Call Center during winter weather events. Call 853-2000.
- Calls or texts to 911 should be reserved for medical, fire, or police emergencies only. Please do not call 911 or 211 for specific information related to snow removal.
- To report power outages, call AEP at 800-956-4237.
- To report problems with water mains in the city, contact the Western Virginia Water Authority at 540-853-5700.
Snow Watch
The city subscribes to a weather service that provides detailed forecasts. When a winter storm is forecasted at 50% probability or more, crews are mobilized and equipment is prepared.Pre-Treating Roads
How crews prepare roads before a storm is dictated by the type of weather event. Major streets and trouble spots are pre-treated only if the storm is forecasted to start as snow.
Clearing Snow
When clearing snow from driveways and parking lots, residents and businesses are asked to refrain from pushing snow into the street as it impedes the work of snow plows and may be inadvertently pushed back into the driveway. To minimize the amount of snow across the driveway, shovel snow to the right side of the driveway (looking at the street.) Clearing a space immediately to the left of the driveway can provide a space for the snow already on the face of the plow and further lessen the amount of snow across the driveway. Citizens are also reminded that they are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks adjoining their property within three hours after a snowfall ends or, if snow falls overnight, by 9 a.m. the next morning.
When clearing snow from driveways and parking lots, residents and businesses are asked to refrain from pushing snow into the street as it impedes the work of snow plows and may be inadvertently pushed back into the driveway. To minimize the amount of snow across the driveway, shovel snow to the right side of the driveway (looking at the street.) Clearing a space immediately to the left of the driveway can provide a space for the snow already on the face of the plow and further lessen the amount of snow across the driveway. Citizens are also reminded that they are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks adjoining their property within three hours after a snowfall ends or, if snow falls overnight, by 9 a.m. the next morning.