Severe Weather

Public Works Operations prepares for weather events by diligently following weather reports and monitoring weather stations. Often City crews get started in the early hours to mitigate very snowy or icy conditions and eliminate commuting hazards.

The City of Ridgefield has many hills and streets that are typically the first to become slippery or impacted by snow. Public Works Operations prioritizes clearing these roads along with main arterials, collectors, and bus routes by using anti icer, sand, and / or plowing.

In a snow or ice event, roads will be cleared or treated in the following order: arterials, collectors, and bus routes. After these streets are plowed and sanded, the crew will attempt to clear neighborhood streets if time and conditions permit. View the full size map (PDF).

Anti Icer as a Tool

Anti icer is preferred for use in certain circumstances. For example, sand causes other issues to drivers and bicyclists. In addition, when streets are sanded, the sand has to be removed after the weather event. Instead, the City pretreats the streets with magnesium chloride, an anti icer, which lowers the freezing temperature of water. Magnesium chloride is preferred over salt or other anti icers because it is less toxic to plant life and less corrosive to concrete and steel. 

The liquid magnesium chloride is sprayed onto dry pavement prior to freezing temperatures in the winter months to prevent snow and ice from adhering and bonding to the roadway. In order for the treatment to work properly, the road surface must be dry for application.