Mission Statement

Keeping Cincinnati moving safely during the winter is the Department’s primary goal.  The Department maintains 2,835 lane miles within a 79 square mile area.  We have been preparing for this year’s winter operations.  We ask for your patience as we first focus our efforts on treating the City’s primary and secondary routes.  Primary routes include some hills, bridges, main thoroughfares, and the City’s downtown business district.  The City’s streets are cleared as a priority in order to improve the safety and travel conditions for the public.

Weather Alerts

The Department of Public Services considers a number of factors such as the amount and consistency of snow, the outside temperature, and the projected duration of a particular storm when developing snow removal procedures.  When a snow event occurs, the City of Cincinnati follows the Snow Emergency levels determined by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.  The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office recognizes the following snow emergency levels: 

Level I Snow Alert - Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.

Level II Snow Advisory - Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.  Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways.  Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.

Level III Snow Emergency - All Municipal, Township, County, and State roadways are closed to Non-emergency personnel.  No one should be out during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel.  Those traveling on the roadways may subject themselves to arrest.

Parking Snow Emergency

For more severe snowstorms, the City may issue a parking snow emergency.  A snow emergency declaration initiates parking restrictions on signed routes.  Cars not moved are subject to ticketing and towing.  These severe storms may also require hauling away snow and makes clearing streets more difficult.  Although this can delay the full treatment of streets, every effort is made to make roads passable as soon as practical.

Operation Snow 

Operation Snow is a new program this year designed to enlist the community in helping the City treat the streets.  Anytime a winter storm is forecasted by the National Weather Service to affect rush hour traffic, the City Manager would broadcast an Operation Snow declaration.  The City Manager will advise area employers and schools of the potential for significant travel delays and request the voluntary cooperation of major employers to release their non-essential employees early.  Operation Snow will rely on the use of an extensive notification list to provide this warning to citizens in advance of the approaching storm. This will help to minimize rush hour delays from occurring, which may leave employees stuck in traffic and may hinder the City’s capacity to treat streets and roadways because snow treating trucks are delayed by traffic.

Our salt domes and brine production units are strategically placed across the city to maximize efficiency:

Treatment Methods

The City uses four (4) primary treatment methods:

•  Salt Brine is a combination of salt and water that is used most often for
   pre-treating the streets.
•  Salt is used as a treatment on streets when the temperature is above
   17 degrees Fahrenheit.
•  Calcium Chloride and Salt is used in combination when the temperature is
   below 17 degrees Fahrenheit or during an ice storm or heavy accumulation.
•  Plowing is used for several inches of snow and may leave ridges of snow on
   the sides of streets.