City launches new snow plow tracking map

When Cedar Rapids gets hit by snowstorms, residents want to know how the City is responding, which roads have been plowed, and how close the snow plows are to reaching their neighborhoods.

Thanks to our new snow plow tracking website, you can answer those questions immediately.

Located here and activated when a snow or ice event is forecast to arrive, the system's dashboard will allow residents to track snow plows from their cell phone or computer, and see the progress of the City's response during a winter weather emergency.

"We really wanted to enhance our communication with the public about our operational response," said Mike Duffy, Assistant Director of Public Works. "People wanted to really know where we've been, as well as where we currently are. This system is able to provide both, thanks to near real-time tracking."

Using GPS tracking technology, the website can display where pre-treating materials like brine have been applied during the leadup to a storm. Once the snow is falling, the site will show which main and arterial roads have been plowed, as well as where the plows are currently located. This allows residents to determine which roads are safe to travel on. Once an All-Plow event has been called and plows have moved into residential areas, users can see how close the plows are to their neighborhood.

"We've been tracking our equipment internally for a number of years," Duffy said. "Now we're providing that information out to the public, and we wanted to make sure that the tool was both robust and user-friendly. That was our overall goal for this project, and we really wanted to make sure we got it right."

The map will only be active during a winter weather response, but residents can see a preview at CityofCr.com/Snow. When the next snow or ice event arrives, the City will activate the tracking tool and notify residents that it is available.

Learn more here.