Road & Bridge offers tips for a safe winter
Bonner County Road & Bridge would like to offer the following information to assist residents whom may have questions and concerns of how the department prioritizes its snowplowing during the winter months. It also contains information on how residents can be proactive in securing their mailboxes, and safeguarding articles that are placed in the county right of way. We would like all to have a safe and secure winter.
Winter road
maintenance guide
Bonner County Road & Bridge maintains 684 miles of roads within the county operating from three districts. Sub-priorities have been set up as guidelines to aid the foreman in making decisions, as follows:
• First priority — school bus routes, arterials and major collectors.
• Second priority — all other county maintained roads after first priority roadways.
Snow removal operations will generally begin after a sufficient accumulation of snow. Snow is plowed from roadways to provide two-way traffic as soon as practicable.
• Third priority — sanding will not be performed until the roadway has been plowed. Use of sand will be limited to steep roadway grades such as in mountainous terrain, at intersections, and on overhead structures and in other areas determined by the department to be hazardous. It is not standard policy to sand straight stretches of roadway because of snow floor. Road salt is not used. Sand is not applied between 11 p.m.-4 a.m. due to no midnight crewman.
Residents who remove snow from their driveways are reminded that state law prohibits placing snow or ice on any public road in a manner that impedes vehicle or pedestrian traffic or makes it unsafe.
You can help
Winter road maintenance is expensive, dangerous and time consuming. There are several ways the public can help make the county’s job more cost effective and safe:
• If there is a snow fall and residents have a vehicle parked on the roadway, please move it immediately. If it is not moved, the vehicle will most likely be bermed in or tagged for removal. It will be the resident’s responsibility to shovel it out.
• Any snow plowing obstructions such as rocks, fences or planters within the county right of way should be removed for the winter. Not only can they be destroyed by snow removal operations, they can do substantial damage to snow plows. Owners of such obstructions are at risk should the county’s equipment be unnecessarily damaged.
• Snow from a resident’s property should not be stacked over ends of culverts or drainage structures. Rapid warming cycles in winter could result in overloaded ditches being unable to drain and local flooding could occur.
• Mailboxes are occasionally damaged during snow removal operations. Damage due to rotting posts or snow being thrown from a plow will be the responsibility of the property owner/resident per the Bonner County Road Standards Manual, Section 8.
• Snow removal operations require the use of large, heavy, noisy equipment to be used during periods of darkness usually accompanied by limited visibility caused by falling snow. Bonner County operators are carefully trained and safety is stressed at all times. Drivers of automobiles should follow and pass at a safe distance.
• Children love to watch snow removal operations-the large equipment, noise, lights and activity can be very exciting. Although operators are glad to have people watch, people should stay a safe distance away. The concentration required for snow removal, combined with the noise and types of equipment used, means the operators may not always be able to see people close by and accidents could result.
• Please tell children not to build tunnels, forts or play in snow berms.
For further information, please call the Bonner County Road & Bridge Department at 255-5681, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gordon Bates is director of Bonner County Road & Bridge.