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Milwaukee DPW outlines limits, priorities and new tech after early December storm
Summary
DPW officials and alderpersons spent most of the meeting on a detailed review of snow-and-ice operations after an early heavy storm, discussing priorities, staffing shortages, aging equipment, GPS/camera pilots and options for more aggressive removal or paid neighborhood services.
Danielle Rodriguez, director of operations for the Department of Public Works, told the Public Works Committee on Dec. 1 that the department treats "Priority 1" as keeping main arterials and transit routes open to preserve emergency access and bus service. "So our priority 1 is opening up those mass transit routes that includes arterials or main streets," Rodriguez said in presenting the department's service-level framework.
Rodriguez described a layered response: pretreatment with brine, general ice control using sensor (salt) trucks, partial plowing with underbelly blades for light accumulations, and a full plow operation that brings packer (garbage) trucks into service for heavier storms. She said the department deploys an "A team" and "B team" on 12-hour shifts and that a full operation can involve 250 to 300 employees plus private contractors.
The presentation included budgets…
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