Lexington proposes biggest overhaul of snow and ice response plan in 30 years

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Lexington officials will unveil what they describe as the city's most significant overhaul of its snow and ice response plan in three decades, with a new strategy aimed at improving road treatment, communication and coordination during winter storms.

The proposed 44-page plan, which will be presented Tuesday to the public and an Urban County Council committee, is the result of seven months of review and planning involving city employees, emergency responders, schools, residents and elected officials.

"At the Mayor's direction, we have been working on this plan for about seven months, challenging everything about our snow plan," said Charles Martin, interim commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works. "Now, we are ready to test this plan and to look for ways we can continue to improve it."

The proposal comes after several winter weather events in recent years that tested the city's ability to respond to snow and ice, prompting a comprehensive review of operations.

Among the most notable changes is a new pretreatment strategy that would call for all ranked streets to be salted within the first four hours of a storm. The plan also adds drivers to the response team and increases staffing focused on trouble spots, public safety concerns and contractor management.

City leaders said they are also working with Fayette County Public Schools to explore a Plan A and Plan B transportation system designed to reduce the number of weather-related school closure days.

Other proposed changes include combining Rank 3 and Rank 4 streets into a single category to improve efficiency, expanding the use of contractors to treat major roadways and increasing oversight of plowing and treatment routes through additional quality-control staff.

The city has also secured agreements with eight disaster-response contractors to provide supplemental resources when needed during major weather events.

Under the proposal, contractors would handle many major roads, including Man O' War Boulevard, Alumni Drive, Polo Club Boulevard and Clays Mill Road, allowing city crews to focus on lower-ranked streets.

Officials also plan to implement new technology designed to improve route efficiency and provide better information to residents. That includes the creation of a public weather dashboard featuring data about the city's winter weather response.

Martin said the plan is intended to evolve as Lexington continues to face changing weather patterns.

"This plan is a living document — it's built with change in mind," Martin said. "We expect it to change as we test it, and into the future as weather continues to change."

The proposal will be reviewed by council members and the public before being implemented for future winter weather events.

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