Snow Removal

Priorities

The Public Works Department maintains roads in the City of Danville during the winter months. Snow removal and anti-icing is provided by Public Works employees. Supplemental assistance is provided through private contractors in the area. The City is separated into five geographical zones and streets are prioritized to ensure that main roadways are cleared as soon as possible.

The established priorities are:

Bridges
Primary and arterial highways
Industrial areas
Collector roadways
Residential streets

Private streets, roads, and driveways are the responsibility of the residents. For more information regarding snow and ice removal, call 434-799-5245.

Procedures

When snow or ice is forecasted and action is necessary, Public Works crews will, as appropriate, pre-treat major thoroughfares, bridges, and secondary roads with salt brine. The solution is applied during low traffic times whenever possible. However, due to changing weather forecast and timing of storm, it may be applied at peak traffic times. Public Works crews begin plowing roadways once accumulation of snow and/or ice has occurred, usually one inch. Snow will be plowed in a manner so as to minimize any traffic obstruction. Plowing continues only on primary roads until all snowfall has stopped. After snowfall stops and the primary highways are clear, plows continue with industrial areas, collectors, and residential streets (in that order) until all streets are cleared.

Salt Brine Solution

Salt brine solution is a road salt and water mixture. The proper salt brine solution will melt ice and snow and prevent it from adhering to the pavement, thus making the clearing of streets more efficient. This solution will easily wash off vehicles with soap and water.

Sidewalks

Winter maintenance is not limited to the roadways. Sidewalk snow clearing also plays a key role. According to City Code Section 35-22, snow and ice removal from sidewalks is the responsibility of property owners or occupants of a building or lot and should be done within 24 hours after snowfall ceases. Public Works is responsible for clearing sidewalks, walkways, driveways, and parking lots around City-owned and maintained buildings.

Driveways

When snow plows clear the streets in your area, extra snow usually ends up piled along the curb and in driveways. Since it would drastically slow the snow removal process, our crews are not able to remove snow from residential or commercial driveway entrances, parking lots, or sidewalks. Please do not shovel snow back into the driving lanes of the street. If you require additional space for snow, place it onto yard areas or along the curb line. When shoveling sidewalks and driveways, pile the snow on your property and clear an area adjacent to your driveway to provide a place for snowplows to unload into when trucks pass through.

Driveway Clearing Instructions (PDF)