Download - Stepping Stones to Year-Round Bicycling and Walking: Tackling Winter Maintenance-Steve Sanders

• Minneapolis Campus 360 acres

• St. Paul campus 540 acres

• 265 buildings

• 46 miles of sidewalk and plaza

• 16 miles of streets

• Stairs, many stairs

University of Minnesota Winter Maintenance


Seasonal snowfall avg. - 54 inches 2013/2014 – 70 inches At least 1 inch of snow on ground from 12/4/13 – 4/4/14


53 days below zero Coldest day -23F


• Trace of snow – sidewalks mechanically

broomed & stairs swept/shoveled • 1” of snow – tops of parking ramps

plowed • 2” of snow – parking lots plowed • 3” of snow – streets plowed

Snow Removal Guidelines


Snow Removal Personnel

• 25 FT Landcare employees • 50 student employees • 50 custodial staff • 30 snow-removal vendor staff • 10 Parking staff


Snow Removal Equipment

• 6 skid steers • 2 Toolcats • 6 Polar Cats • 2 Walk-behind

Contractor

Mechanical Brooms

• 30 – 35 pickups with plows

Blade-equipped

Shovels, lots and lots of shovels

• Front-end loaders, dump trucks, road graders


What happens when this happens?


• If snow is forecast and temperature is in the range of 15F to 32F, streets and sidewalks pre-treated with 23% salt brine solution

• Pre-treatment helps prevent snow/ice from bonding to pavement

• If temperatures below 15F, calcium chloride w/beet solution used. Beet solution reduces corrosiveness

• Solutions spread using vehicles with 2,500 gallon tanks


Excessive use of snow-melt chemicals


All hands on deck at 3:00 a.m. for forecast snow of 3 + inches


Where does all the snow go?


As a practical matter, what does it all mean?


• University estimates 80,000 visitors a day – 3rd largest trip generator in state

• Even in the depths of winter 1,000 + bikes a day on campus

• Tunnel and skyway system takes many people indoors, but usually results in longer trip time


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Steve Sanders - Alternative Transportation Manager http://www1.umn.edu/pts/bike/bikeRFID.html

[email protected] – 612-625-1333