Snow Removal and Emergencies

Snow Plowing Information and Route Prioritization

Prior to the beginning of any snowfall, all plow trucks are prepped and filled with salt.  Once the snowfall begins, crews begin plowing and salting major routes and will continue until all major routes are cleared.  Once the major routes are completed, the crews then move into the neighborhoods.  The Westland Department of Public Service prioritizes school routes and garbage routes in order to reduce the likelihood of trash collection and school disruptions.

As a reminder, most major roads in Westland are maintained by Wayne County including Cherry HIll, Eckles, Farmington (between Ann Arbor and Joy), Ford, Hannan, Inkster, Joy, Merriman, Michigan Avenue, Middlebelt, Van Born, Warren, Wayne, and Venoy (south of Warren.)

The temperature outside can impact the effectiveness of the salt being spread by the plow trucks.  At a temperature of 30 degrees, one pound of salt will melt 46 pounds of ice.  As the temperature drops, salt effectiveness slows to the point that once the temperature drops near 10 degrees or below, salt is barely working.  Once this happens the snow plows will be focused on only plowing to make sure the snow routes stay as clear as possible.  

You can also watch the progress of the City's snow plows through the City Snow Plow Tracker which provides near real time information about the position of our snow plows as they move around the City.