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Snow and Ice Removal

See how we prepare for snow and icy weather.

Snow Plow and Ice Control Routes

About 426 miles of road are in our snow plow and ice control routes.

If snow or ice is in the forecast, we may apply anti-icer beforehand to prevent slippery conditions. We don’t use road salt to melt ice and snow on the roads because of cost and its impact on roads, cars and the environment.

Once cold weather arrives, we may sand some roads to make them less slippery. We also plow roads as needed.

We have limited resources and can’t provide snow and ice removal services everywhere. We prioritize roads that connect important buildings, emergency services and major corridors. Neighborhood streets aren’t plowed outside of extreme conditions and until we clear higher priority roads.

Snow and ice don’t usually cause us to close specific roads. However, downed trees or power lines and making room for first responders may cause us to close or restrict roads. 

During severe weather, we activate our three Snow Zones by turning on the flashing lights on the snow-zones signs. When the lights are flashing, chains or traction tires are required by law. Snow Zones are located on parts of 175th Avenue, Barnes Road and Cornell Road.

See Snow Zones

Contact Us

To request snow plowing, submit a service request or call 503-846-ROAD (7623). We will continue to focus on our priority routes before neighborhood streets. Some roads may be too narrow for our plows and sanders. They can damage parked cars and other property near the roadway.

Follow us on Twitter for road condition alerts. We also post alerts related to emergency road closures and restrictions on wc-roads.com.

For state highway conditions, visit TripCheck.

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