Overview

Triview Metropolitan District’s Winter Street Standards are fashioned to provide reasonable winter driving conditions for vehicles that are properly equipped for winter driving, are operated in a manner consistent with good winter driving habits, and with consideration for the prevailing weather conditions.

Service levels vary based upon the severity of the weather event. There will be weather events that exceed the service capabilities of the District, Town of Monument, El Paso County, and the State of Colorado. All residents are responsible for their personal safety, property protection, and general welfare.

District Winter Street Standards do not include “snow removal” as a service. Snow plowing is not “snow removal”. Snow plowing is the moving of snow from travel lanes to an immediately adjacent space. All snow accumulation in the district shall be “removed” only by natural melting, sublimation, and drainage.

Street Categories

Tier 1 – Primary streets

These are arterial and connector streets. Primary streets are the main passageways through the district and do not have individual residential driveways. Primary streets will be plowed such that snow is moved from all travel and turn lanes. These streets are considered first priority.

Tier 2 – Secondary streets

These are residential streets that generally lead to Primary Streets. Residential streets will have a single lane plowed during a storm (if the intensity of the storm provides for this).

Following the end of a storm, additional travel space will be cleared of snow. Plowing will typically leave snow pushed towards the curb and gutter pan, and may leave snow at the edges of the streets. It is highly likely that snow will remain at the edges of the street and extend as much as 5 feet from the curb. The district does not expect to plow snow from the street on to residential sidewalks. Any recurring issues with snow being plowed onto sidewalks should be reported to district management. Residential streets will sometimes have packed snow and ice, and are not always plowed down to clean asphalt. When plowing is required, windrows of snow across driveways may be created and opening of driveways are the responsibility of the property owner. On residential streets, clearing of snow from the sidewalks immediately adjacent their property is the responsibility of the property owner.

Tier 3 – Residential Streets

These streets are usually streets that only contain a few homes and are usually less that two blocks from either a Secondary street or a Primary Street. The District will plow these streets after the primary and secondary streets are plowed. If time permits the District Crews may make a single pass on these streets, in order to maintain some accessibility, however the streets will not be completely plowed until the storm has subsided and the Primary and Secondary streets are passable.

Other Areas

Residential Sidewalks

Residents are responsible for clearing the sidewalks adjacent to their property. Pursuant to Town of Monument Ordinance 02-2012, § 1, 2-6-2012, snow from driveways and sidewalks should not be moved to gutters and/or streets. We recommend moving snow from these areas to your yards and not into the street.

Cul-de-sac Streets

Cul-de-sacs can present a plowing challenge to balance the need to clear snow from the street surfaces, with the desire to keep from overwhelming residence driveways with plowed snow. Where specific areas exist on some cul-de-sacs that provide an open curb towards which snow can be cleared, reasonable effort will be made to relocate the snow from the street surfaces to that curb area. On some cul-de-sacs, the lack of curb space between driveways and the large surface area of street requiring snow clearing, will result in more snow being plowed in front of residence driveways than would otherwise be desired. During the cleanup from a severe weather event, it will likely not be possible for the snowplows to spend the time necessary to minimize driveway blockage in these areas. It may be likely that residences on such streets will end up with more driveway blockage from snow plowing than on other, non-cul-de-sac, streets. This “blockage”, as on all other residential streets, will be the responsibility of the homeowner to clear.

District Maintained Sidewalks

While snow plowing of roads is of the highest priority, sidewalks that run along primary streets or that are adjacent to parks and green space areas are the responsibility of the District to maintain, and this includes the clearing of snow. District sidewalks are prioritized for snow plowing in the following order:

Sidewalks along Leather Chaps Drive near Bear Creek Elementary School, but not extending north of the school
Lyons Tail Road
Gleneagle Drive
Common Mailbox areas which are the responsibility of the District
Jackson Creek Parkway (as of May 2016, the District is only responsible for the sidewalks on the west side of the Parkway extending south of Blevins Buckle Trail)
Sidewalks adjacent to parks or District Facilities (i.e. water treatment plants)
Trail intersections with residential roads
Sidewalks along Leather Chaps Drive that were not previously cleared
Park walkways

Mailbox Areas

Where a common mailbox is on the sidewalk of a residential street, it is the responsibility of the homeowner whose property is adjacent to that sidewalk to shovel the snow at that mailbox. This is keeping in compliance with Town of Monument Ordinance 02-2012, § 1, 2-6-2012. Where a common mailbox is located in a District maintained area, for example at a park, District Personnel will clear the snow from the sidewalk areas adjacent to these mailboxes. And if need be place ice melt near the mailbox pedistals.

Park Walkways

Paved walkways within parks are the responsibility of the
District to clear. These areas are lowest priority and will be cleared of snow after all other priorities have been addressed.

Trails

Trails and other paths which consist of natural surface material (nonpavement) will not be cleared of snow by the District. These areas will be left to natural snow removal forces (i.e. melting).

Service Levels

Category 1 Storm

2 inches or less of snow resulting in icy, slick, or slushy road conditions throughout the district.

The District will focus on the Primary and Secondary Streets. Traction assist material (Sand and Salt) will be applied at intersections that could be hazardous and on curves. Typically snow will not be plowed during a Category 1 Storm.
No district snow clearing of sidewalk or other areas will be performed

Category 2 Storm

2 – 4 inches of snow resulting in icy, slick, or slushy road conditions throughout the district.

All primary streets are plowed during the storm. Hazardous stops, hills, and service facilities will have traction assist material (i.e. sand) applied during the storm.
Secondary streets are plowed at intervals during the storm (as possible and as needed).
All streets will be plowed once the storm subsides.
Following the storm, hazardous stops, hills and service facilities will have a traction assisting material (i.e. sand) applied throughout the district.
After the storm subsides, District maintained sidewalks and other areas will be cleared of snow, in order of priority, within 48 hours

Category 3 Storm

Between 4 – 8 inches of snow, possibly with wind, causing blizzard conditions.

All primary streets are plowed during the storm. Hazardous stops, hills, and service facilities will have traction assist compound (i.e. sand) applied during the storm.
Secondary streets are plowed at intervals during the storm (as possible). The level of service provided to secondary streets during this category of weather event is dependent upon storm conditions. All secondary streets will be plowed within 24 hours of the storm ending.
All streets will be plowed once the storm subsides.
Following the storm, hazardous stops, hills and service facilities will have a traction assisting compound (i.e. sand) applied throughout the district.
After the storm subsides, District maintained sidewalks and other areas will be cleared of snow, in order of priority, within 72 hours.

Category 4 Storm

A major snowstorm greater than 8 inches of snow, possible closures due to drifting and blizzard conditions.

Concentration is given to primary streets , service facilities, and as requested by Emergency Responders
Secondary streets are plowed and sanded as soon as possible after the weather event, but likely will not be plowed during the storm, although crews will attempt to make one pass through the street. The acceptable level of service for residential roadways is to provide a navigable surface; this is, the street may have snow or packed ice on it but plowing and material application allows a vehicle, properly equipped for winter driving conditions, to travel the street safely on at least one center lane. Once the storm has subsided, secondary streets will be plowed to allow more room for traffic where possible. All secondary streets will be plowed and sanded within 48 hours after the storm ends.
After the storm subsides, District maintained sidewalks and other areas will be cleared of snow, in order of priority, within 4 days.

Category 5

Declared Emergency, exceptionally high level of snow accumulation throughout the District with or without wind involved. The intensity of the snow storm has been classified by the State, Federal or Local Jurisdiction as an “Emergency”. Vehicle traffic within the district may not be possible. Certain areas prone to drifting will not be plowed due to equipment and resource constraints. The district will coordinate with local and regional authorities to reestablish navigable road conditions within the district boundaries. All residents are strongly encouraged to plan for their personal safety and property protection during extreme weather. Because of the severity of a category 5 weather event, it is not possible to provide time estimates for snow plowing activities.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We ask if possible, prior to any predicted storm event, that you move vehicles parked in the street to your driveway. This reduces the amount of snow to be shoveled off your driveway and also gives our crews the ability to do a more complete job of plowing when they pass through your neighborhood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is responsible for clearing sidewalks?

Residents are responsible for clearing their driveways as well as sidewalks adjacent to their property. It is recommended that snow from driveways and sidewalks be placed in their front yards and not in the street. (Town of Monument Ordinance 022012, § 1, 2-6-2012)

Q: My neighbors never clear their sidewalk. What can I do?

Property owners are required by Town of Monument Ordinance (02-2012, § 1, 2-62012) to keep their “…sidewalks, gutters, curbs, culverts and other drainage structures in front of and adjacent to their property free and clear of snow, ice, mud, dirt, debris, rubbish and filth.” If you are concerned about uncleared sidewalks, you can please refer to the Monument Code Enforcement webpage for more information: http://www.townofmonument.org/departments/codeenforcement/

Q: After the storm, the plow came through and plowed my driveway shut again.

When snow plowing takes place, snow is not removed but rather pushed to the right side of the road. Depending on the severity of the storm, cleanup/widening operations often take place within one to four days following the storm. It is necessary to widen an available roadway to ensure the ice and snow melts off the driven surface as quickly as possible. Failure to do so will result in ice/snow packed roads being too narrow to accommodate storage of snow from subsequent storms, will prevent proper drainage, and result in increased ice problems. The resident, business owner, or property owner is responsible for opening driveways that are plowed closed by district snowplows.

A SNOW CLEARING TIP

Clear the street area on the right side of your driveway (facing your house) if the snow plows have not finished plowing your street. When the plow comes by again, much of the snow from the plow blade will dump in this clear area and reduce the plowed snow across your driveway. The more snow you clear from this area, the less will be deposited at your driveway entrance.

Q: What if the District plows snow onto my sidewalk?

The District Streets Department has a standard operating procedure to only plow a width of two lanes (one lane during a storm) on our residential areas. This procedure is in place to keep snow from being plowed onto your sidewalk. Unfortunately, due to poor visibility at night or during a storm, the snow plow operators are not always able to judge the distance to the curb and snow sometimes ends up on a sidewalk. If this occurs, the District will not remove the snow; however, the District manager needs to be informed of any incidents to reduce the chance of it happening again. Please call the district office at (719) 488-6868. Also, if your schedule permits, you may want to wait and clear your sidewalk after the plows have finished your street.

Q: What if I have an emergency and my street isn’t plowed?

If an emergency situation occurs that requires emergency first responders, call 911. Snow plowing equipment will be diverted by the district for emergencies ONLY WHEN REQUESTED BY AN EMERGENCY SERVICE AGENCY. Police/Fire dispatch will communicate with our staff during storm conditions if necessary. It is a crime to make a false emergency request.