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Public Works

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1. How does the City decide which streets get plowed?

Our first priority is to keep the main arterial streets open. We also ensure that we keep the access open to critical facilities such as the hospital and fire departments. Our second priority is to plow around schools and designated problem areas, such as problem hills and intersections. Other than hills and problem spots, we do not normally plow residential streets. For snow events over five inches the City will plow residential streets enough to make them passable.

2. What do you put on gravel roads to control dust?

We normally apply a dust control product to our gravel roads twice a year, spring and fall. The product we apply is a liquid magnesium chloride product designed for deep soil penetration and maximum control of dust

3. What do you put on the streets to melt ice and snow?

The product we put on the street to melt ice and snow is called Ice Slicer. Ice Slicer is naturally occurring complex chloride ice melter consisting of synergistic trace minerals plus sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium chlorides and grit. Mined from ancient buried mineral deposits in central Utah, Ice Slice is protected from the buildup of alkalis and pollutants. Thus, Ice Slicer is a very low corrosive ice melt.

Due to its hard crystalline structure, Ice Slicer can provide immediate traction whenever applied. Some users refer to it as “dissolving sand” because it doesn’t leave high volumes of residues as it breaks down. With naturally occurring trace minerals and very low alkalinity, Ice Slicer is also less harmful to roadside vegetation.

Ice Slicer’s natural brown color enables it to use the sun to provide additional melting power. It dissolves slowly and stays on roadways longer to help prevent freezing of new snow or ice so it is more effective over a longer period of time than ordinary salt.

4. Who takes care of repairing and/or replacing street lights in Cheyenne?

The street lights in Cheyenne are maintained and repaired by Cheyenne Light Fuel and Power. Citizens can call Customer Service at (307) 638-3361 with the location of lights that are not working. The exception is a street light mounted on a traffic signal pole. Citizens request repair by clicking on the Traffic Signal Repair form.

5. Why do you plow snow on my sidewalk after I have cleared it?

We realize this is very frustrating and apologize for the inconvenience. Our snow plow drivers are instructed to keep from getting snow on the sidewalks as much as possible. However, with some streets, there is simply nowhere to put the snow other than over the curb and onto the attached sidewalk.

6. Why doesn’t the City plow residential streets?

The City will plow residential streets enough to make them passable after a major snow event. This may not take place for several days since all major streets must be cleared first. We do not routinely plow residential streets that are passable because of limited capability and the problem of where to put the snow. A windrow (a line of piled snow) along the side of the street blocks cars and driveways and takes much longer to melt when the weather warms.

7. Why doesn’t the City purchase more equipment so they can plow residential streets?

Considering the relative few days that we have snow and the fact that it normally stays only a few days, it doesn’t make economic sense to spend an additional several hundred thousand dollars for the manpower and equipment to have this capability.

8. Why don’t the operators go slow so they don’t throw the snow up onto the sidewalk?

We try not to throw snow onto the sidewalk, but slowing down is not always the answer. Slower means fewer road that gets plowed and sometimes the trucks lose traction at slower speeds and can’t move the snow.