FAQs • Why does the snow plow truck plow into my Cul-De-Sac

Why does the snow plow truck plow into my Cul-De-Sac and leave without plowing all of it?: It would be time-consuming for our large salt/plow truck to plow all of the Cul-De-Sacs in the township. We have smaller pick-up trucks with snow plows that clear the snow more efficiently and in some cases will arrive before the salt/plow truck.

Services Department - Snow Removal

1. Why is my road one of the last roads to be cleared of ice and snow?: Harrison Township crews clear approximately 91 miles of roadway during a snow/ice event. The service department starts by clearing priority roads (heavily traveled roads, hills and school zones) then start on all secondary roads implementing a predetermined pattern to maximize efficiency.

2. Why does the snow plow truck push snow into my driveway apron?: The snowplow truck must clear the roadway. The snowplow by design moves the snow from the roadway to the right side of the roadway leaving the snow in front of the driveways and along with the properties. In heavy snow (3 or more inches) our snowplow trucks will make two passes, we recommend if possible you wait to clear your driveway until after those passes have been made. If you cannot wait to clear your driveway, we recommend that you place the snow from your driveway apron on the right side as you approach the street, this will decrease the volume of snow placed back into your driveway apron by the snowplow truck.

3. Why does the snow plow truck plow into my Cul-De-Sac and leave without plowing all of it?: It would be time-consuming for our large salt/plow truck to plow all of the Cul-De-Sacs in the township. We have smaller pick-up trucks with snow plows that clear the snow more efficiently and in some cases will arrive before the salt/plow truck.

4. What determines when the salt/plow trucks respond to a snow or ice event?: When the Sheriff’s office or our supervisors determine the roadways are becoming unsafe we call the crew’s in to treat the roadways anytime day or night.

5. How long does it take to clear all the roads start to finish in a snow/ice event?: In a typical snow event requiring salt only (two inches of snow or less), it takes approximately four hours to clear all of our roadways in Harrison Township. In a heavy snow event (three inches of snow or more) it will take a minimum of eight hours to clear the roadways. These times could change based on extreme conditions such as heavy ice and high winds.