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- 1 - DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA CHAPTER 10 TITLE II - TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER 10 SECONDARY ROAD MAINTENANCE DURING WINTER MONTHS 10.01 Purpose 10.04 Limitation of Service 10.02 Level of Service 10.05 Emergency Conditions 10.03 Sequence of Service 10.06 Repealer 10.07 Severability Clause 10.01 PURPOSE The purpose of this chapter is to establish the County’s policy and level of service in respect to clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of its secondary road system during the winter months, specifically defined as November through April, as provided in Section 668.10(2) Code of Iowa (as may be amended hereafter)and pursuant to the provisions of Section 309.67 of the Code of Iowa. This policy and level of service are to be implemented within the amount of money budgeted for the service and as contained in the County’s secondary road budget as submitted to and approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation and adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The clearance of roads at any cost, under any circumstances, day or night, is not the County’s policy. 10.02 LEVEL OF SERVICE Clearance of snow or ice and maintenance of the secondary road system during the winter months is primarily for the benefit of the local residents of the County. The County’s snow removal equipment will be utilized for this purpose. All clearance of snow and ice, sanding, salting and other winter maintenance shall be accomplished within the amount of money budgeted for this service and as practical. Each storm has individual characteristics and must be dealt with accordingly. The entire portion of the roadway that has been improved for travel may not be cleared of snow, ice, frost or compacted snow and ice. These conditions may be continuous or they may be more concentrated on curves, intersections, hills or valleys. Snow cleared from that part of the roadway improved for travel will be placed on or in the adjacent shoulder, ditch or right-of-way. Snow can be expected to accumulate adjacent to the traveled portion to the extent that a motorist’s sight distance to both the left and right may be greatly reduced or impaired. The snow removed from intersections will be piled on its corners in mounds of unequal height. The line of sight, sight distance or visibility of motorists approaching these intersections may be greatly reduced or impaired. During these conditions no ---PAGE BREAK--- - 2 - CHAPTER 10 DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA additional warning or regulatory sign will be placed that warn of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions, or that the road surface is slick or slippery. Motorists shall drive their vehicles during these conditions with additional caution and watchfulness, especially with respect to the surface of the roadway and reduced or impaired visibility. Although no regulatory signs will be posted, motorists are strongly advised to reduce their speed at least 25 miles per hour below that legally permitted under normal operating conditions. On occasions that only one lane is improved for travel, motorists shall exercise extreme caution and their speed should not exceed 10 miles per hour. The County shall not be responsible for snow pushed or otherwise placed on the roadway or shoulder by others. County personnel may be temporarily rendered unavailable due to the requirements of the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991. 10.03 SEQUENCE OF SERVICE In the implementation of snow and ice removal and other maintenance of the County’s secondary road system during the winter months, the County Engineer or Road Superintendent shall select the actual sequence of roads to be cleared as provided for in this section and shall determine when drifting, wind velocity and equipment be removed from the roadway, or that additional clearance of paved routes be accomplished prior to the clearance of gravel and dirt roads. The County Engineer and/or Road Superintendent’s professional judgment shall prevail. 1. Paved Routes. A. The initial effort will be to get all routes open to two-lane traffic as soon as possible and/or practical. During initial snow removal operations, paved roads may only have one lane plowed for period of time. B. After two-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours. C. The truck mounted snow plows and spreaders will not normally be in operation between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The trucks may be called off the road if snow or blowing snow reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the ---PAGE BREAK--- - 3 - Engineer or a delegated representative. DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA CHAPTER 10 D. When required, due to drifting snow, motor graders may be used to keep the paved roads open and the opening of gravel roads may be delayed. E. It is not the policy of the County to provide a "dry" pavement condition. F. After roads have been plowed, as provided in this section, intersections, hills, and curves may, but not necessarily, have placed on them, salt, sand, or other abrasives. These intersections, hills, and curves may or may not be re-sanded, re-salted, or have other abrasives replaced on them between snowstorms. 2. Unpaved Roads. A. The initial effort will be to get all routes opened to one-lane traffic as soon as possible after a storm has passed. B. After one-lane travel is possible, subsequent snow removal will be carried on during normal working hours. C. Motor graders and/or truck plows will not normally be in operation between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The motor graders and/or truck plows may be called off the road if snow and blowing reduces visibility to hazardous working conditions, in the professional judgment of the Engineer or Superintendent. D. Snow may not be removed from roads or parts thereof upon which there are no occupied residences. 3. Private Drives. A. The County will not clear snow from private drives. Normal snow removal operations may result in snow being deposited in private drives. Snow from private drives shall not be placed on the roadway or shoulders. B. The County shall not replace or repair mailboxes destroyed or damaged during snow removal operations unless the plow blade actually struck the mailbox. The ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 County will not replace mailboxes damaged or knocked down by the force of snow thrown from the plow. CHAPTER 10 DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA There is no time limit after a snowstorm in which any of the above sequence of clearance, on paved or unpaved roads, shall take place. 10.04 LIMITATION OF SERVICE Notwithstanding anything else stated in this ordinance, the policy and level of service provided for in this ordinance shall not include the following, and the following services shall not be performed: 1. Sanding, salting or placing of other abrasives upon the roadways that are slick, slippery and dangerous due to the formation of frost. 2. Sanding, salting or placing other abrasives upon paved roadways due to freezing precipitation that occurs outside the County’s usual working hours. 3. Placing of additional warning or regulatory signs warning of impaired sight distances, visibility at intersections, road blockages, one-lane conditions or that the road surface is slick or slippery, or what the advised speed should be. 4. Sanding, salting, or placing abrasives upon any road, except for paved roads. If in the opinion of the County Engineer, or his/her designee, an "emergency" exists and ice has built up on hills and intersections on the gravel system that slope down to another road so as to become dangerous, abrasive material may be applied at these locations as crew and equipment availability allows and only as a last resort. This condition will not, under any circumstances, take a higher priority than placing of abrasive material on the paved road system and will only be done after the paved roads are cleared of ice and snow. Abrasive material will also only be placed after other mechanical means have been tried and failed, such as scraping with motor graders. 5. Removing of sand, salt, or other abrasives. 6. Plowing, sanding, salting, or placing of abrasives on any road that is not the jurisdiction of the county, unless it is agreed to do so by a 28-E Agreement between the county and the entity having jurisdiction of the road. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA CHAPTER 10 10.05 EMERGENCY CONDITIONS The sequence or level of service may be suspended during ‘emergency’ conditions. An emergency condition is considered as one where a loss of life is probable, where a serious injury has occurred or where extensive loss of property is imminent. The County will respond to ‘emergencies’ on a case-by-case basis as determined by the County Engineer’s or Road Superintendent’s professional judgment and verified through the 911 dispatcher or Sheriff’s office. The County may respond to all emergency conditions, either during or after a snowstorm. 10.06 REPEALER All ordinances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. 10.07 SEVERABILITY CLAUSE If any section, provision, or part of this ordinance shall be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or any section, provision, or part thereof not adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.