City of Asheville prepared to respond to winter storm

Press release from city of Asheville

A major winter storm may affect the Asheville area Saturday night through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. An advisory on the Weather Service’s website says: “Significant accumulations of snow are possible, and sleet and freezing rain may mix in at times, especially in southern mountain locations.”

The City of Asheville Public Works Department is taking a proactive approach to this forecast. On Friday, January 14, Streets Division crews will hit the roads, prepping against the oncoming snow storm.

The City of Asheville Public Works Department is taking a proactive approach to this forecast. On Friday, Jan. 14, Streets Division crews will hit the roads, prepping against the oncoming snow storm.

Streets Division trucks will begin pre-treating roads mid-morning with salt brine, scheduled to begin after the morning commute. Pre-treatment of sidewalk areas bordering city property will also take place. This includes, but is not limited to: City Hall,  the Municipal Building housing first responders, Pack Square, Pritchard Park and Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.

“Our staff is steadily preparing our equipment to begin snow removal operations when needed,” said Public Works Director Greg Shuler. “We have plenty of salt, our staffing levels are in good shape, and our equipment is ready to go.”

Street crews are scheduled to report as the predicted storm moves in Saturday night and will be prepping and plowing streets as conditions require. Staffing will continue on a 24-hour basis throughout the storm event.

Please clear the streets so snow plows can get through

The City asks everyone to limit on-street parking during any snow event! This is extremely helpful to our ability to clear streets more efficiently.

City garages in the Central Business District will be opened to the public free, likely around 5 p.m., depending on when the snow moves in. This is in effort to  allow salting and snow plows clear access. Everyone is asked to please ensure their vehicles are off the streets so our teams are able to continually clear roadways of snow build up or other weather related hazards.

For everyone’s safety, please limit travel and stay off the road during snow events if possible. Hazardous travel conditions could continue through Monday.

Pulling together as a community

We want to encourage everyone in our community to prepare personally and come together to look after their neighbors as well.

If you have regular medical appointments critical to your health, then please make sure you have a snow plan in case travel becomes hazardous. In the event of a medical emergency, call 911. For information on available resources call 211.

SHARE
About Community Bulletin
Mountain Xpress posts selected news and information of local interest as a public service for our readers. To submit press releases and other community material for possible publication, email news@mountainx.com.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.