City of St. Louis Announces Snow Plan Update

Today, Mayor Cara Spencer announced the City of St. Louis Street Department has implemented an updated snow removal plan and taken steps to increase capacity in an effort to keep roads passable this coming winter.

"As we prepare for winter, St. Louisans deserve a city government that sets clear expectations," said Mayor Spencer. "That's why we have reviewed and updated our snow removal plan, increased on-call pay for snow plow drivers, and are putting in place a contingency agreement with a snow removal contractor that will allow us to move quickly in case conditions are more severe than what our own fleet can handle."

The plan establishes several protocols, including:

• Pretreatment: Approximately 12 hours before a snow event, all snow routes will be pretreated with a salt solution, except under the following conditions:
  • If rain greater than .05" is predicted, unless a period of dry weather exists before the snow.
  • If the temperature is below 20 degrees (due to the freezing potential of the solution).
• Snow Route Clearance: First, all snow routes will be fully cleared in the drive lanes (arterials, secondaries, hill routes).
  • This includes all K-12 school main entrances and, for severe snowfall, streets surrounding schools.
• Intersection Clearance: Next, crews will focus on clearing accumulated snow (windrows) at intersections where side streets meet the main snow routes.
• Side Streets: After intersections are clear, the Street Department director will determine what additional support shall be provided to the remaining side streets.
  • If significant ice develops, all available vehicles and staff from other departments will be utilized to break up the ice.
• For storms with snow accumulation under 1" per hour, "Normal" snowfall:
  • Arterial and secondary routes will be cleared in an alternating and continuous process.
• For storms with snow accumulation over 1" per hour, "Severe" snowfall:
  • Arterial routes will be prioritized first.
  • Secondary routes will be addressed as the next priority and with less frequency.
• Contingency contract: A contingency contract will be in place for activation if required to address a snow event beyond the City's capabilities.

The City is also increasing its salt supply. Average winters have required about 6,000-7,000 tons of salt, but the City used 12,000 tons in the January 2025 response alone. The City currently has a bid for 9,000 tons of salt in the approval process, which will bring the City's amount of stored salt to 15,000 tons for this winter season. The City is working to create a pilot program for a salt bank where residents and community groups can pick up salt for side streets at the Street Department.

The Street Department's snowplow fleet has been enhanced ahead of the coming winter. Four new 1-ton trucks with full snow plow and salt packages have been added, primarily for use on hill routes and smaller streets, and four older dump trucks (with 8-ton or 18-ton salt capacities) have been replaced with new models, all of which are equipped with full snow plow and salt packages.

To improve the City's ability to respond effectively to snowstorms, the City is increasing on-call pay to incentivize more employees with a CDL from various City departments to sign up for snow removal shifts.

When winter weather is forecasted, the City will maintain active communications with residents through City social media sites and local news. There will be a link on the main city webpage for event updates.

Updates will be posted online as early as possible in advance of the storm and throughout the snowfall and aftermath with information on snow plowing status, salt bank, safety measures and potential road closures.

Please direct all non-emergency service requests to the Citizens' Service Bureau (CSB). This helps streamline the response process and allows the Street Department to focus on operations. The CSB can be reached by calling 3-1-1, on X, or through the online request form.