Road crews plow through practice session

Lawrence public works department employee Howard Clark, Lawrence, waits for his snow plow to be attached to the front of his truck Tuesday at the street maintenance facility located at 11th Street and Haskell Avenue. Street Maintenance Division workers spent the day inspecting snow removal and salting equipment as well as traveling their routes for familiarity as the winter months approach.

Stockpiling

The city of Lawrence already has 3,400 tons of road-clearing rock salt in storage, and is receiving shipments of 150 tons a week for the next four weeks to get to 4,000 tons.

The total would be 1,000 tons more than the city started with last winter, a season in which the city never depleted its supply of salt.

For a look at the city’s 16 snow-removal routes, check out the plan at www.lawrenceks.org/public_works/snow_ice.

John Barnes and Chris Wika don’t know how many miles they’ll traverse, exactly how long it’ll take or just what mix of material they’ll load into the back of their city dump truck this winter.

But they do know this: Residents north of Bob Billings Parkway and west of Wakarusa Drive sure could do them a favor when deciding where to park once snow and ice arrive.

“Please park in your driveways, when we’re doing residential,” Wika said. “Especially in cul de sacs.”

Barnes shakes his head at the thought of the alternative: “It just slows us up getting everything cleared.”

The two drivers of truck No. 335 know what they’re talking about.

Barnes, Wika and about 40 of their coworkers lined up Tuesday for the Street Division’s annual run-through of its expansive snow-removal plan.

In all, the division is responsible for keeping 805 miles worth of lanes passable through the winter season, an inventory spread out among 16 routes. The division also works to keep Lawrence Municipal Airport open during winter, by keeping runways and taxiways clear.

It’s no small task. A year ago, city crews dumped 3,000 tons of rock salt and 4,500 tons of sand to grapple with the effects of persistent storms packing snow and ice.

Tuesday’s practice didn’t require dumping material on city streets, but crews did run through the required tasks. Barnes and Wika used a can of oil to free up pins on their plow, a 10-foot-wide metal blade that they moved into place with a crowbar.

Then they prepared to hit the streets, including the nine roundabouts and 47 cul de sacs on their route.

“It’s just something we do,” Wika said, preparing to leave the public works yard at 11th Street and Haskell Avenue. “If we’ve got any kinks, we’ve got to work them out before the first storm hits.”