What streets does Wichita plow? What to know about snow-clearing efforts after storm
It’s been a snowy weekend in Wichita and a dangerous one for drivers across Kansas.
Warnings sent to residents’ phones Sunday, Jan. 5, and Monday, Jan. 6, advised Kansans to stay off the roads due to hazardous conditions unless for an emergency.
“It is very dangerous for you and our emergency services employees. Stay home. Stay safe,” one emergency alert read.
The winter storm moved into the area Saturday, bringing cold temperatures and icy roads. The storm turned into a snowstorm on Sunday, leaving 3.6 inches of snow at the Dwight D. Eisenhower airport.
While snow is not forecast in the area for at least the next few days, you may have seen city snow plows putting in work to clear up the roads as much as possible in the meantime. But how can you know if your area will get cleared?
Wichita has an online map where people can track the city’s snow plows — and see their fun names. Some names include Aaron Brrrr, Icy-T and Edgar Allen Snow.
But if you were holding out for your neighborhood to get shoveled out by the city, you may be out of luck.
“Unfortunately, plowing neighborhood streets would be impossible,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely said in an email to The Eagle. “There are a number of independent plowing services that residents could contact if they wished to plow their neighborhood streets.”
When faced with inclement weather, the city prioritizes the 1,500 lane miles of main city routes, followed by 300 miles of secondary arterials and school routes, Lovely said.
As of Monday afternoon, all of the main and secondary routes have been treated and re-treated since Thursday.
“Crews will continue working 24 hours a day in 12 hour rotating shifts retreating and plowing until the storm is abated and streets are clear,” Lovely said.
For state highways and interstate conditions, you can check live feed and updates for all of Kansas on KanDrive.gov.
If you do need to get behind the wheel, be sure to drive as slow as possible and keep enough distance from the vehicle in front of you.
Cold temperatures are supposed to continue in the area this week, with wind chill temperatures getting below zero on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast. The chance of snow returns Thursday.
