Snow Removal

What You Need to Know

• Grand Blanc Township has a fleet of 6 trucks equipped with snow and ice removal equipment.
• The DPW removes snow from 106 miles of residential streets throughout the Township. The Genesee County Road Commission maintains all major streets (Dort Highway, Saginaw, Baldwin, Holly, etc.)
• Snow removal crews are dispatched after streets realize 4" or more of accumulation. Trucks may be out earlier if blizzard-like conditions with larger accumulations are expected. Plow trucks will be out on weekends only in case of major snow events or if an emergency is declared.
• With smaller amounts of snow, you may notice we "cut the edges" meaning we only run trucks down the sides of the streets to remove the bulk of the snow leaving some snow in the middle of the streets. This allows us to only make one pass down both sides of the road thus decreasing our plow times. With larger snowfalls, two trucks run together clearing the entire roadway.
• Salt is only applied to intersections, hills, and dangerous curves. The Genesee County Road Commission only allocates 300 tons of salt to the Township forcing us to be stringent with our usage. We will spot salt hazardous areas not included in the above list when needed.
• Trucks are divided into 3 different plow routes in the Township. This way, we can address all streets in a timely manner rather than working from Township Hall out. This improves response times and gives drivers a more defined area to work in.
• Cul de sacs are plowed after the large trucks have been through. The big snowplow trucks are not able to clean cul de sacs efficiently so smaller pick-up trucks must come back through the same day or sometimes the day after to perform this work. We have not forgotten about you, it just takes time to complete this work.

How You Can Help

• Give the plow truck room to work. There is a lot to pay attention to when operating a plow truck. This equipment is often noisy and rough riding. Don't tailgate a plow truck. We sometimes have to stop suddenly or blast salt from the spreader. Our trucks have many blind spots and we often cannot see vehicles behind us putting you in danger of collisions or your vehicle being sprayed with a lot of salt sometimes causing damage. Stay back at least 50 feet and don't pass the plow truck.
• Don't put your garbage cans in the road when we will be out plowing. Leave them in your driveway a couple of feet from the road. The garbage truck will still pick it up. We do not want to run over your cans and spread the garbage down the road. The plow truck driver will not have a clue this happened and keep it ongoing. To avoid a mess and damage to your garbage cans, leave them in your driveway!
• We are sorry if we come back through and fill in your driveway with snow after you have shoveled but this cannot be avoided. There are times where a couple of days after the storm, we have to go back out to widen roads with larger plows and we may plow snow back into your driveway. In order to provide an effective service to our residents, this is sometimes necessary even though not very convenient to some people.
• Don't let mailboxes hang over the road. Damage is inevitable if it is installed too close to the road. Trucks must stay as close to the edge of the road or curb line as possible to clear drainage and allow water runoff. We make every effort to avoid mailboxes but drivers may not even know they have hit yours.
• Report damage to the Township immediately if your mailbox is hit and a temporary or replacement mailbox will be installed as soon as possible.  Please see the Mailbox Replacement Policy as adopted by the Township Board on October 9, 2014.
• Please be patient. Our drivers work very hard to complete all Township residential streets the same day the storm occurs and they often work through the night to do so. We will get to your street but it sometimes takes time. If we do not get to your street by the second day, give us a friendly reminder by calling or emailing us and we will get it taken care of.
• Please do not park in the road if at all possible. Damage to your vehicle is possible because these trucks are hard to maneuver. We will leave a lot of snow around the vehicle and we will not come back and plow the road after the vehicle has been moved.
• Please do not shovel your snow back into the road. Again, we will not come back and plow the road. This is also against the law and violators can be prosecuted.
• Please stay home if you can. Give our trucks room to work and if the roadways appear to be slippery and unsafe, it is best to stay off of them.
• We apologize in advance for plowing snow into the end of your driveway but there is nowhere else to put it. Rest assured, when we are done, we all have to go home and shovel the ends of our driveways. It is best to wait for the plow truck to finish its job before you begin shoveling in order to avoid repeating the task.
• These trucks are huge! They are loud and have a lot of power behind them. They are not driving 50 miles per hour (mph) through your subdivision. These trucks are lucky to go 15 mph down your street.