CONTACT
	Jim Michaelson Cloverdale Superintendent 208.387.6352 Randy Noble Adams Superintendent 208.387.6327 tellus@achdidaho.org

Ada County averages around 21 inches of snowfall annually. Most often, this snowfall accumulates in several small storms. The roadways also become icy from rain, freezing rain and the freeze/thaw of snowfall and frost, which creates potentially hazardous conditions from November through March.

During those months, the Ada County Highway District provides a Winter Street Service that covers local roads in Ada County.  Services include street sanding, snow plowing and anti-icing treatments. This is part of the ACHD commitment to provide the best public highway system for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in Ada County.

Click here to watch ACHD's winter maintenance video.

 Winter Street Service Policy

Street sanding and snow plowing are at the discretion of the on-call supervisor who makes the determination that vehicles equipped with proper ice and snow traction devices cannot safely travel District roadways.  If the forecast calls for precipitation that could cause ice on the roadways, roads may be treated with an anti-icing agent in advance. When the forecast predicts a warming trend following a minor snowfall, plowing may be differed to better accommodate faster melting and dissipation. 

ACHD generally favors anti-icing and sanding to plowing as the most effective treatment for the county's normal winter conditions.  Plowing is done when the snow accumulation is so intense that the roads would otherwise be impassable. In general, snow storms are followed by periods of above-freezing temperatures, which can create black-ice conditions when the melted water refreezes after sundown. Plowing can create snow banks, which compound the black-ice problem.  That's why the District employs anti-icing treatments, which help maintain traction on the roads and promotes snowmelt. Sanding improves traction on roads where snow remains. 

Priority System

Even with a large fleet of vehicles, the District must use a priority system to ensure that the most-used or most-critical roads (arterial roads and major intersections, overpasses and bridges, streets with grades more than six percent) get first attention.

Priorities for Street Sanding and Anti-icing are as follows:

• Major intersections on arterials and collectors
• Overpasses
• Bridges
• Railroad crossings
• School crossings
• Streets with grades over 6 percent

Priorities for Snow Plowing are as follows:

• Arterials (major local roads)
• Collectors (mid-sized road carrying traffic between areas)
• Streets with grades over 6 percent

More on Anti-Icing

When below freezing weather is eminent, ACHD applies an anti-icing liquid called magnesium chloride on predetermined intersections, grades, and bridges. This application is a pretreatment that is applied prior to the winter storm event. ACHD uses the least amount of anti-icing liquid possible. The application helps prevent ice from forming on the roadway, and greatly reduces black ice and slippery conditions. It can also melt existing ice on streets.

Anti-icing publications from the Federal Highway Administration:

Saving Money and the Environment in Oregon

Anti-Icing Saves Time and Money in Colorado

How Do Anti-Icing Methods Work?

Colorado DOT fact sheet: 

Anti-icers and de-icers have little or no impact on environment

Study of environmental effects of magnesium chloride in Colorado

While the anti-icing treatment is less corrosive than salt and contains anti-corrosion inhibitors, it is still a good idea to wash your car often in the winter months to prevent potential corrosion.

Removing Sand

Sweeping of roadway sanding material will begin as soon as conditions allow. ACHD conducts a dust abatement sweeping program throughout the winter months.  Once the priority routes have been swept, operations concentrate on all remaining roadways.

Heavy Snow Conditions

During periods of heavy snowfall, we do hire local contractors and their equipment to help with the snow plowing. This reduces our equipment inventory requirement thus reducing our overhead costs for winter maintenance.

ACHD does not specifically budget a large amount of funds for snow removal. Click here for a snow removal video  When we have severe weather and have to hire contractors, we adjust our budget at mid-year (in April) to cover the additional costs. The budgeted funds that are spent in the summer such as asphalt mix, gravel, liquid asphalt, and others are reduced accordingly.