Oklahoma City Street Maintenance offers snow and ice statistics

Oklahoma City street crews housed at the Central Maintenance Facility, SW 15 and Portland, are working around the clock to clear ice from City streets. Below are a few statistics regarding Street Maintenance’s de-icing efforts:

Emergency Snow Routes
  • <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">City crews are concentrating their de-icing efforts along the emergency snow routes. Oklahoma City’s snow routes cover more than 1000 lane miles*. There are more than 14,000 total lane miles* in Oklahoma City. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Snow routes can be viewed on-line at www.okc.gov. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Priority is given to City bridges and overpasses. Next comes streets along the emergency snow routes.
  • Three monitoring stations (located in NW, NE and Downtown OKC) measure the surface temperature on bridges. Information gathered from the stations help crews plan their de-icing tactics.
About our fleet
  • Oklahoma City will keep anywhere from 25-30 salt trucks on the road throughout the ice storm. Six of the trucks are equipped with snowplows. In addition to the salt trucks, there are five graders in the fleet.
About the salt
  • <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Oklahoma City has about 15,000 tons of rock salt in stock. Eight tons are housed at the Central Maintenance Facility, 3738 SW 15. Seven tons are at the River Yard, 900 S Santa Fe. Our last salt delivery came on January 11. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Crews are expected to distribute about 1,500 tons of salt per day.
  • Magnesium Chloride, which is a de-icing agent, is added to the salt when the temperature dips into the teens.
Our crews
  • The City of Oklahoma City has 75-100 people dedicated to working each 12-hour shift, 24-hours per day until conditions improve. Shifts change a noon and midnight.
How to Help
  • <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Keep a safe distance between your car and salt trucks – 500 feet is recommended. <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Stay off City streets.
  • Be patient. Crews are working hard.