Updated report: Friday, Jan. 13 (6 p.m.)
Public Works Director Keith Henry said late Friday that crews will continue to monitor roads for ice throughout the evening and will work on a call-out basis unless conditions worsen over the weekend.
“We currently have two trucks out and are continuing to monitor bridges, overpasses and elevated surfaces for ice as we have throughout today,” Henry said. “If more bad weather moves in and things get worse, we will switch to 12-hour shifts and continue working to keep major streets and intersections as clear as possible.”
Reports indicate winter storms could further impact the Bartlesville area beginning Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.
Updated report: Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 (9 a.m.)
City crews are working to clear ice from bridges, overpasses and other elevated surfaces as the first of several predicted weekend storms moved into the area early Friday.
Public Works Director Keith Henry said the precipitation started around 4 a.m. and quickly worsened.
“At that time everything was just wet, but it got a lot worse very quickly,” he said.
Henry said City crews were out and working to clear bridges and overpasses before 6 a.m.
“We have had some icing on the bridges, overpasses and other elevated surfaces, and the sidewalks on the north side of some of the buildings are slick. But other than that, everything is mainly just wet,” Henry said. “So we’re pretty happy that things aren’t worse than they are, and we hope the storm stays on that path.”
Original report: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017
Several City departments are preparing for the possibility of inclement weather through the weekend after reports indicate the area could receive heavy rains and/or icing as a strong storm system moves into the state beginning early Friday. The system could be active into Sunday, reports show.
Public Works Director Keith Henry says the department’s trucks are ready to begin spreading sand and removing ice from major streets, should icing occur.
“We’ve had our trucks ready to go and are prepared to begin working 12-hour shifts if we need to,” Henry said Thursday afternoon.
Snow removal policy
The City of Bartlesville follows the guidelines and procedures as outlined in the City of Bartlesville Snow and Ice Removal Policy during times of inclement weather.
The policy includes the following guidelines:
SNOW / ICE CONTROL GUIDELINES
- Snow is plowed only on major streets.
- Snow will not be plowed on residential streets.
- It will be the responsibility of the property owner to clear their driveways and sidewalks.
- Snow removed from driveways, sidewalks, or parking areas shall not be placed in the street.
- An attempt will be made to follow set priorities, however, due to blowing or drifting snow, some streets must be plowed repeatedly to control drifting snow.
- In removing snow from the streets, it cannot be expected that all the snow will be removed down to bare pavement. What snow or ice remains will be salted or a salt/sand mixture applied to improve traction.
- CMA may be applied to dry road surfaces in anticipation of snow or ice to help facilitate in keeping the snow or ice from adhering to the roadway surface. It may be applied later to help keep the precipitation from freezing solid.
- Due to the intensity of the storm or the time of day that the storm arrives set priorities may be changed with prior approval of the City Manager, Public Works Director, or his designated representative.
The policy may be viewed in its entirety at Snow and Ice Removal Policy.