Best / Worst in Winter Road Maintenance / Snowplowing

[thenetwork]

Since I started a new job last October, I have done more traveling for work, taking me all over Colorado and parts of New Mexico and Utah on a daily basis.

I have also driven through more than my fair share of winter weather already.

One thing I have noticed is that once I leave my town to head to other parts of the region, it seems that Colorado DOT has been doing a great job as far as getting rid of the sow and ice on the roads quickly after the last flakes have fallen.  This also includes US-550/Million Dollar Highway over the San Juan Mountains, which I have so far driven a half dozen times in my new job.  One time, not even 2 days after the last storm, the roads were 95% dry and down to the pavement and only in the dark corners were there areas of snow or ice on the road.

What states/counties/cities seem to do a great job of clearing the primary roads during and after inclement weather in your area and which municipalities do hardly anything?  I'm kind of leaning towards how they do after a storm, as depending on the severity of the storm, it may be hard to keep up with the precip as it is coming down.

Again, Kudos to those that keep the major routes through Colorado looking good hours after the last flake has fallen.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

[gonealookin]

At Lake Tahoe, Caltrans is usually a lot better at cleaning up US 50 after a storm than NDOT.  The Caltrans section is more of an urban boulevard and they have a center turn lane through South Lake Tahoe to use as berm space until the scoopers and dump trucks come along to haul that snow off, but NDOT has a section like that in the "Casino Corridor" and the difference is noticeable right at the state line.  The Nevada stretch along the east shore from Stateline up to Glenbrook is reliably a rutted mess of packed snow for a full day after a significant storm while Caltrans has theirs cleaned down to the pavement much more quickly.

[Flint1979]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

[Flint1979]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

I always hate traveling on a county road. Clinton is a little smaller than Saginaw but probably with fewer resources I would guess the more populated the county the better the resources. I was in northern Roscommon County last winter after a snowfall, I drove through Roscommon and then ended up in a county road that turned into a dirt road that turned into a two track. I was in the middle of nowhere on this two track luckily though I was in my F-150 and rode in four wheel drive the whole way back there. I finally got into Crawford County which was a little better actually. Once I found 4 Mile Road I headed back to I-75.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

I always hate traveling on a county road. Clinton is a little smaller than Saginaw but probably with fewer resources I would guess the more populated the county the better the resources. I was in northern Roscommon County last winter after a snowfall, I drove through Roscommon and then ended up in a county road that turned into a dirt road that turned into a two track. I was in the middle of nowhere on this two track luckily though I was in my F-150 and rode in four wheel drive the whole way back there. I finally got into Crawford County which was a little better actually. Once I found 4 Mile Road I headed back to I-75.

That story sounds familiar, didn't you post photos of it?  I seem to recall looking up where you were and it definitely wasn't a place someone would want to be during a heavy snow.  I seem to recall Grand Traverse County was much better than neighboring Leelanau County in terms of clearing county roads.  Again, it probably came from greater resources from the more populated county.   

[Brandon]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

Houghton County was good at the main routes, and left others alone (marked by signage).  Keweenaw County has quite a few roads that they do not plow in the winter at all.  They simply become snowmobile trails in October.  Plowing up there; however, does not mean pavement.  It means they plow down to near pavement and leave a crust of snow/ice on the road that refreezes with the sand they (including MDOT) put on the road for traction.  Doesn't daunt the locals from getting up to 60 outside of towns though.

[Big John]

I think Wisconsin counties plow the state highways.  Trying why Dodge County does the worst job.(Or did they improve recently?)

[Brandon]

I think Wisconsin counties plow the state highways.  Trying why Dodge County does the worst job.(Or did they improve recently?)

They do. Heading back and forth to Michigan Tech in the winter was interesting in Wisconsin.  Most of the counties along I-90 and I-39 were good at plowing except one.  That county couldn't plow worth a damn and left one lane with two tracks open on I-39.

[DaBigE]

I think Wisconsin counties plow the state highways.  Trying why Dodge County does the worst job.(Or did they improve recently?)

Not that I've seen over the past 20-years (+/-). When we used to travel between West Bend and Madison on a regular basis, Dodge County was always the worst (by far), compared to the counties of Washington, Columbia, and Dane.

FWIW, WisDOT's county maintenance agreement goes back over 100-years. All you ever wanted to know, from route priorities to salt usage: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/doing-bus/local-gov/hwy-mnt/winter-maintenance/default.aspx

[Flint1979]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

I always hate traveling on a county road. Clinton is a little smaller than Saginaw but probably with fewer resources I would guess the more populated the county the better the resources. I was in northern Roscommon County last winter after a snowfall, I drove through Roscommon and then ended up in a county road that turned into a dirt road that turned into a two track. I was in the middle of nowhere on this two track luckily though I was in my F-150 and rode in four wheel drive the whole way back there. I finally got into Crawford County which was a little better actually. Once I found 4 Mile Road I headed back to I-75.

That story sounds familiar, didn't you post photos of it?  I seem to recall looking up where you were and it definitely wasn't a place someone would want to be during a heavy snow.  I seem to recall Grand Traverse County was much better than neighboring Leelanau County in terms of clearing county roads.  Again, it probably came from greater resources from the more populated county.

Yeah I remember taking them and I posted some of them it was crazy. I kept thinking where am I? I remember there wasn't any cell service so I couldn't get a route off my cell phone so I just kept driving around and came to a trail where 4 Mile starts I think the other way was a no outlet or dead end so I didn't bother with that. I then thought 4 Mile has an exit with I-75 I'll just keep following this road west. Once I got to I-75 I think I took US-127 to US-10 to M-47 to get back to Saginaw.

I've been in the U.P. when they closed the Mackinac Bridge before too that was a lot of fun. I felt like crap I can't get back to the lower peninsula until they open the bridge back up, then I heard it was going to be closed overnight. That's when I just started driving west on US-2 once I made it to Escanaba I figured what the hell I'm going to drive around the lake the long way. One of my better road trips lol.

[Flint1979]

Not really any in California or Arizona.  When it snows the roads are treated with sand which usually means at minimum R2 chain control zones.  This past Christmas was a disaster due to a snow storm closing; I-5, CA 33, CA 166, and CA 58 since it forced all traffic leaving/going to Los Angeles to use US 101.  The only place I've been snow bound on a work/road trip was in Arizona on US 60/AZ 260 in Show Low when there was 26 inches of snow over three days.  Again, the roads were treated with sand and it took until the last day to get AZ 260 clear enough just to get AZ 87 in Payson.

As much as I hated salt treatment due to the corrosive effects it had on cars it certainly was much more effective in keeping the roads clear.  Michigan and MDOT was usually good at keeping the State Trunklines open to traffic.

MDOT isn't bad but it varies heavily by county for the other roads. I live in Saginaw County and they are ok about it I think they could be quicker but then again this is an 800 square mile county.

Clinton County wasn't all that great when I was in high school. US 27 and I-69 were often fine but you could see a couple inches on roadways several hours after a snow.  Wayne County and Oakland County seemed to do well but that probably has more to do with resources more than anything.

Houghton County was good at the main routes, and left others alone (marked by signage).  Keweenaw County has quite a few roads that they do not plow in the winter at all.  They simply become snowmobile trails in October.  Plowing up there; however, does not mean pavement.  It means they plow down to near pavement and leave a crust of snow/ice on the road that refreezes with the sand they (including MDOT) put on the road for traction.  Doesn't daunt the locals from getting up to 60 outside of towns though.

Probably because of Keweenaw's population and small size, most of it is in Lake Superior to connect it to Isle Royale. I still find it strange that Isle Royale isn't part of Canada.

MDOT is pretty good in this region.

[1995hoo]

The worst snow plowing I recall was during the so-called Blizzard of 1996. I was at Duke at the time. First-year law students had to come back a week or two early for the spring semester and the snowstorm hit right after we got back to Durham. The plowing was a disaster because the county only owned one snowplow and it broke down.

[MNHighwayMan]

it seems that Colorado DOT has been doing a great job as far as getting rid of the sow and ice

Oink.

[cl94]

In a normal year, NYSDOT and NYSTA are by FAR the best of the Northeast US agencies when it comes to plowing. There is routinely a noticeable drop in plowing quality when you leave New York for any other state. Particularly in the central and western parts of the state, plows tend to travel in groups of 3 and, unless it's a very large storm, it'll be down to pavement within 12 hours of the snow stopping.

Worst I have dealt with? PennDOT definitely. I've gone from barely-touched PA roads to bare pavement in every adjacent state. But ODOT District 6 isn't much better. I've watched them dump salt on a road and plow it up 15 seconds later.

[DJ Particle]

Back in 1993, I was convinced New York state forgot I-86 existed. The whole way from I-81 to the Thruway was a harrowing snow-covered suck just after part 1 of the Blizzard of '93.

And before you say "well, it was just after a blizzard!".... I-81 was clear.

[vdeane]

Back in 1993, I was convinced New York state forgot I-86 existed. The whole way from I-81 to the Thruway was a harrowing snow-covered suck just after part 1 of the Blizzard of '93.

And before you say "well, it was just after a blizzard!".... I-81 was clear.

Technically, I-86 didn't exist back then (and still doesn't on most of the Quickway).  More seriously, maybe the snow stopped sooner on I-81.  Or maybe they wanted to focus on the more traveled road.

[DJ Particle]

Back in 1993, I was convinced New York state forgot I-86 existed. The whole way from I-81 to the Thruway was a harrowing snow-covered suck just after part 1 of the Blizzard of '93.

And before you say "well, it was just after a blizzard!".... I-81 was clear.

Technically, I-86 didn't exist back then (and still doesn't on most of the Quickway).  More seriously, maybe the snow stopped sooner on I-81.  Or maybe they wanted to focus on the more traveled road.

I know...I just tend to call the entire Quickway/STE "I-86".

And the snow had stopped before I left on my drive (from Ithaca, heading to Cape Cod).  81 was clear.  87 and points east were clear.  86...snow-covered suck.

[vdeane]

Probably focusing on the more highly traveled I-81 and I-87.  The parts of NY 17 through the Catskills see less than 10,000 vehicles per day - less than half the least traveled portions of I-81 south of Syracuse and about a quarter of the least traveled portions of I-87 along the Thruway!