Liquid freeze-point depressant chemicals were applied to the road surfaces to help prevent the snow or ice from bonding to the roadway.  The result is that the winter precipitation either melts or at least becomes easier to plow. The anti-icing compounds also result in the need for less salt and lower labor costs, according to the village.

“It also has a number of additional benefits, including reductions in the amount of damage to trees, grass, and shrubs adjacent to the roads and in the chloride content of run-off that goes into lakes and streams,” the village stated on its Web site.

Clearly, one of those weather events that is hard to keep up with, much less stay ahead of. Both WGN and the Weather Channel are calling for a total of 8 to 12 inches through Friday noon, with blowing snow starting after midnight.

Looks like I’ll be called out of my office to dig out once it finally lets up.  That is, unless there’s a snow day.

Residents can expect the same level of service as in previous years, Newlon said, with public works crews attacking the 170 miles of village streets on a triage basis.

Priority One streets, those with the highest traffic volume or which lead to schools and Good Samaritan Hospital, are addressed first.

Secondary roadways with daily traffic of 200 to 2,000 vehicles are considered Priority Two streets.  Priority Three streets are the village’s 333 cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets with daily traffic of fewer than 200 cars.

Public Works  aims to clear Priority One and Two roadways down to bare pavement within 12 hours after a snow event, Newlon said.

“With Priority Three, we strive to provide bare pavement within 18 hours.”  However, salt products aren’t as effective on low-volume streets, so bare pavement isn’t always achievable, she said.

The village also works to control snow and ice on downtown sidewalks and at the village’s three commuter stations within eight hours of the end of a snowfall.

Other village thoroughfares are maintained by the county and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Newlon reminded residents that the village doesn’t allow parking on streets between 9 p.m. and 6 p.m. when more than three inches of snow has fallen. She also encouraged homeowners to clear their sidewalks and keep hydrants accessible.

In remarks to the council, resident Bill Wrobel of the Downers Grove Watch asked that the village to require businesses along Ogden Avenue and Main Street to properly dispose of driveway and parking lot snow.

“We are advocating citizens and merchants alike to keep the sidewalks clean,” he said. “We will be contacting merchants this month and next month to try to ask their cooperation to abide by the village ordinance. We think public safety warrents everyone’s cooperation.”

The village’s 2008-09 Snow Removal and Ice Control policy is available here. For a map of village snow routes, click here.

Maybe it’s getting another substantial snowfall at the end of a very long winter, but it seems many folks opted out of shoveling or blowing this time round.

Whether it’s because my husband broke his leg on snow-covered ice (as did at least three other DGers I’ve heard about) or because I walk for exercise or because so many kids in my neighborhood hoof it to and from school,  but I’ve been particularly attuned to the hazards and inconveniences of snow-clogged sidewalks this season.

The village doesn’t require residents to remove snow from their sidewalks, although it “encourages” them to do so.

Unfortunately, encouragement doesn’t get the job done nearly as well as a few days of sun and warm temperatures.