City of Portland Reminds Residents of Winter Storm Operations Information

Public Works crews prepare for season

Portland, Maine - Despite the warmer than usual November temperatures, the City would like to remind residents of winter storm operations information as we head into Thanksgiving week. The Department of Public Works is gearing up for the winter season, in which they care for more than 560 lane miles of road and more than 100 miles of sidewalks during and following snow storms.

During the winter months, the Public Works Dispatch office is open 24 hours a day, reachable at 207-874-8493, and crews are assigned to shifts to respond 24/7 to weather events. Major arterial roadways, hills and intersections are often treated before plowing operations begin, usually when 2” of snow falls. Plow teams concentrate first on major roadways and connectors to move traffic along before heading into residential areas.

WINTER STORM REMINDERS

The city reminds residents and business owners of the following during a snow storm:

            ALERTS & PARKING BAN NOTIFICATIONS
Residents and visitors can view alerts on the City’s website at www.portlandmaine.gov or sign up to receive email and text message notices when a city-wide parking ban is declared via the new Notify Me feature. People can also get parking ban updates by following city news on Twitter or Facebook. Motorists can also call the parking ban hotline at 207-879-0300 or check the Time and Temperature building sign for up-to-date postings.

CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE
·         For customer service related to winter operations, please call 207-874-8493. This number is operational during winter months 24/7. For sidewalk plowing concerns, please call 207-874-8793.

PARKING
Residents able to park off-street should do so in order to allow crews to remove snow from the streets and emergency vehicles to travel as safely and efficiently as possible.
If parking your car on the street, please park as close to the snowbank/curb as possible. Often people park several feet away from the curb in order to allow passengers to move in and out of the car easily. Parking the car in this manner shortens the width of the street by several feet, making it difficult for Portland snow plows to clear the street safely and emergency vehicles to respond as quickly as possible to a fire or medical emergency. If the street is impassible for an emergency vehicle, the vehicle blocking the street will be towed.

SNOW REMOVAL
·         Commercial property owners are required to remove snow from the sidewalk abutting their property within 12 hours after snow has ceased to fall.

·         All residential property owners are required to remove snow from the sidewalk abutting their property within 24 hours after the City has finished clearing snow from that storm.

·         A minimum of four feet is required to be clear of snow and treated for ice on all public sidewalks and sidewalk access ramps. Snow cannot be pushed or dumped from driveways and parking lots onto public access sidewalks and access ramps.

·         To view a map of city sidewalks cleared by Public Works, click here:  http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1422/Winter-Sidewalks.

Members of the community are encouraged to help the Portland Fire Department by keeping their neighborhood fire hydrants clear of snow and ice. Citizens are also encouraged to help Public Works by clearing catch basins and storm drains in front of their homes to help prevent water ponding on their streets and in their driveway openings.
Additional winter operations tips and reminders can be found here: http://www.portlandmaine.gov/429/Winter-Operations