On January 5, 2021 the City Manager announced upgrades to the snow program to improve our response to snow storms and create a more aggressive strategy to plow and salt during snow storms.

Read the full news release.

KCMO Snow Program 

Every city maintained street in KCMO is on a plow route. City snow routes are divided into two systems that we call the arterial program and residential program.

Arterial Program 

Primary streets form the first system and receive a higher level of service since they carry major traffic throughout KCMO and interconnect our neighborhoods. This program includes: 

• Large dump trucks
• Curb to curb plowing
• 10 foot (minimum) plow width 
• Plow and salt
• Daytime/nighttime shifts
• 36 plow routes
• Examples: Main Street, North Oak Trafficway, Holmes Street, Wornall Road and Barry Road are primary streets.

Residential Program

The second system is focused on residential snow routes that tend to be in neighborhoods and carry local traffic. This program includes:

• Smaller pickup trucks, plus larger trucks where possible
• Daytime/nighttime shifts
• A more aggressive approach to snow removal on neighborhood streets
• Curb to curb plowing
• Plowing and salting
• 67 plow routes

In the event of severe snow, cul-de-sacs and dead ends will be plowed after arterial, collector and through residential streets. This allows our crews to use their resources most effectively.

In total, the area to be plowed equates to approximately 6,400 lane miles of pavement.

Tracking our progress:

The City has installed GPS tracking systems that capture and report activity for City snow plows throughout the City in real-time. View our Snow Map for more info.

Who plows snow?

While snow removal is coordinated by the Public Works Department, it is a joint effort that also includes the Parks and Recreation, Solid Waste and KC Water departments. The Aviation Department handles snow removal at the Kansas City International Airport and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

What is a snow emergency?

In the event of severe snow, the City Manager may declare a Phase 1 or Phase 2 snow emergency (see ice and snow policy).

• Phase 1: identifies a driving emergency, in which driving is prohibited for vehicles without snow tires or tire chains.
• Phase 2: identifies a parking emergency, during which any vehicle parked on a snow route must be removed within two hours.
• Citations can be issued to motorists who do not follow emergency conditions.

Parking during snowstorms:

When it snows, residents may be asked to park vehicles off-street when snow depths exceed two inches. Parking cars off-street greatly helps plows to better remove snow, especially in cul-de-sacs and dead end streets. If a vehicle must park on-street, we request the following parking practice:

• On streets that run north/south, park vehicles on the west side of the street.
  
• On streets that run east/west, park vehicles on the north side of the street.
• Please avoid parking on streets where there are streetcar tracks, or along corridors with frequent transit service, if other parking options exist.

Contacting 311 after a snowstorm: 

Please wait until one day (at least 24 hours) after the snow stops falling before contacting 311 to report slick or missed streets. This allows snow removal crews adequate time to complete multiple passes on all of their assigned snow routes.