Leawood Snow and Ice Removal Policy

The following was copied and pasted from the City of Leawood's website. This Policy explains why our streets, as well as all other "local residential streets", are low priority to be cleared of snow and ice.

The SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL PROGRAM is intended to keep vehicular traffic moving at a safe and constant speed. In order to accomplish this, the City is divided into ten (10) districts. Each district has three (3) priorities for snow and ice removal:

FIRST PRIORITY: Arterial roadways. Arterials are heavily traveled north- south, east-west, cross city routes and thoroughfares, (e.g. 95th Street, 119th Street, Mission Road). These streets are maintained at all times by continuous plowing and applying deicing material until these roads are cleared of snow and the snow has stopped.
SECOND PRIORITY: Collector streets. Collector streets in residential areas provide primary access to arterial streets, (e.g. Manor Road, 105th Street, 121st Street). Snow removal on streets in this classification begin once the snow has stopped or all First Priority Streets have been cleared. These streets are plowed with applying deicing material (when the temperature is under 32 degrees) until cleared of snow.
THIRD PRIORITY: Local residential streets. Snow removal on streets in this classification begins once the First and Second Priority Streets are cleared. Generally plowing of Third Priority Streets begins shortly after the snow event ends. These streets are plowed along with applying deicing material until the snow is cleared.
HOT SPOTS: Throughout the storm, known trouble locations, “hot spots” (steep intersections, hills and bridges) are continually plowed and treated with deicing material during the snow storm.

All snow is plowed to the side of the street. The City does not remove snow from in front of driveways or sidewalks. The removal of snow on sidewalks is the responsibility of the abutting property owner.

The City has recently established two different priorities for clearing streets:

Snow events with forecasts predicting four inches of snow or less are staffed with 14 Public Works vehicles equipped for snow removal. Snow removal operations run 24-hours a day utilizing two 12-hours shifts until all streets are cleared.
Snow events with forecasts predicting over four inches of snow are staffed with 19 vehicles equipped for snow removal. Both Public Works and Parks Maintenance equipment are used for these events. Snow removal operations run 24-hours a day utilizing two 12-hours shifts until all streets are cleared.

Vehicle Maintenance Personnel are called in on a 24-hour basis utilizing two 12-hour shifts during snow removal operations to perform vehicle maintenance and repairs.

The Leawood Public Works Department utilizes GPS technology, Automated Vehicle Locators (AVL) in all snow removal equipment. This added technology tracks the location of all vehicles including speed, direction, whether a plow is up or down, and rate of material application. The data will be overlaid on a City map showing where the trucks have been, direction they are going, streets that have been plowed, and streets that need plowing. This technology allows management to monitor the operation in real time improving response time and eliminate streets from being missed before a truck leaves its area.

These changes have been implemented to enhance the City’s response time to clear all streets of snow. The Current Policy and Goal is to have all streets cleared within 24-HOURS OF THE SNOW EVENT ENDING.