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While many in Bozeman sleep, snow plows clear the streets

Posted at 4:41 PM, Jan 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-17 18:35:18-05

BOZEMAN – With snow on the way for Bozeman, those who plow our streets will be plenty busy.

But what exactly is the protocol for plowing and snow removal?

The plowing crews begin their shifts early in the morning, once leaf cleanup wraps up in November.

“That’s where we have eight people doing eight routes every day starting at 3 a.m. If it’s not snowing, like this morning, they were actually out sweeping and checking for potholes and work like that,” said Streets Superintendent John VanDelinder.

Snow can cause delayed travel time, slippery roadways, accidents and fender benders.

The city has to get four inches of snow or more for the plows to go through residential areas during a storm.

“We want to get the arterials and collectors done first. Once you get out of your neighborhood, we want to make sure you’re able to get to work or school, maybe to the hospitals. That’s where we concentrate our resources first and then we’ll go into the residential and it’s usually on average the three days after,” VanDelinder said.

The city of Bozeman plows 250 miles of city streets.

North 19th, 7th, North Rouse, Main Street, and Huffine Lane are state roadways and are plowed and maintained by the Montana Department of Transportation.

Compared to last year’s snowy winter, its been rather dry so far this season. And that’s saving the city on sand and fuel costs as of right now — but this is Montana and Mother Nature could give us any type of weather, at any time.

For a map of where the city plows, you can find more information here.

Reporting by Emma Hamilton for MTN News