In contrast to recent Decembers, nobody in Woodbury is fretting about the absence of a “White Christmas.” While there have been no major storms (so far) National Weather Service data shows that our “nuisance” snows and recent chilly temperatures have put snow depth ahead of 80% of the historical record.
Snowfalls large and small impact traffic on the roads and in our neighborhoods and we all depend on plows from the city of Woodbury, Washington County and MNDot to clear the pavement so we can drive.
Woodbury’s plowing priorities are as follows, “Roads adjacent to schools and primary streets, such as Tamarack Road, Woodlane Drive, Lake Road, Bielenberg Drive, and Hudson Road, are given first priority for plowing. Residential streets and cul-de-sacs are cleared next. The city’s goal is to have the primary roads cleared before the morning and evening rush hours and complete plowing and sanding of all city streets and cul-de-sacs within eight hours. Under most conditions, the eight-hour goal for completing plowing can be achieved. Snow accumulations greater than 6 inches or high winds can increase the time to complete the plowing.” This work is performed by about 20 snow plows and a snow loader.
According to last year’s Woodbury’s community survey, 83% of people were satisfied with the city’s snow plowing, up 8% points from 2022. However, it remains one of the lowest rated services year-to-year.
Washington County maintains 296 miles of road in Woodbury including major arteries such as Valley Creek Road, Radio Drive, Bailey Road, and Military Avenue. Their snowplow fleet includes 26 plows.
Minnesota has approximately 800 snowplows in its state fleet, managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to maintain over 12,000 miles of state highways. MnDOT is responsible for snow removal on 30,000 lane miles of roadway. Using the 800 trucks, the cycle time to complete a route can vary from 1-2 hours in urban areas including I-494 and I-94 through Woodbury.
