Streets and Sidewalks

The City’s Department of Public Works-Street Maintenance Division has designated routes for applying de-icing materials and snow removal.  These routes include the most heavily used traffic corridors known as Arterial and Collector streets.  Local streets are not plowed.

It has been estimated that plowing all streets in the City and County of Denver would double the City’s snow removal costs.

Unlike the Midwest and East Coast, Denver’s climate provides 300 days of sunshine each year.   It is not uncommon for daytime temperatures to reach into the upper 30’s and 40’s and higher following a snowstorm, causing the snow to melt quickly.  The snowmelt runs down the gutter in the street until it is collected by a storm drain inlet or catch-basin (the opening in the curb) that connects to the underground storm drain beneath the street. 

In areas where there is no tree-lawn between the curb and the sidewalk, the sidewalk is attached to the curb and gutter.  Under prolonged night-time freezing conditions, the ice may eventually accumulate to the top of the curb and onto the adjacent sidewalk.

Each location is unique.  Some areas require infrequent ice removal, while other areas require more.

Thus far, we have found it is more cost-effective to address these situations on a case-by-case basis, and you will need to call each time the ice reaches an unsafe level.

Storm drains are constructed based on criteria established to provide a standard level of flood protection during summer storms. In many cases, we have found that constructing storm drains and inlets are ineffective for solving icing problems. As shown in the picture below, these icing problems can prevail, regardless of the proximity of drainage inlets and storm sewers in areas of ice and snow build-up.

The City and County of Denver Department of Public Works’ Engineering Division reviews many of the repetitive complaint locations received by Street Maintenance Division on a case-by-case basis in order to determine if there are other cost-effective practical alternatives that would reduce the amount of ice accumulation.  When such alternatives are available, they may be implemented based on priority and available funding. 

In some situations, a storm drainage improvement may be planned for the area based on the City’s level of service for summer storm drainage.  Once the project is funded and in design, our designers will, to the extent practicable, specify inlet locations to collect the summer storm runoff as well as collect winter daytime snowmelt before it enters a shaded location to reduce the amount of ice accumulation.  When this is possible, it will help to reduce, but will not eliminate, the amount of ice accumulation.   

As shown in the pictures below, in shaded areas it is not uncommon to see storm drain inlets between the patches of ice.  In this case, the inlets are not effective in solving icing problems.

In other situations, the icing in the winter occurs at the same location that there is a constant puddle of water in the summer due to sunken curb and gutter sections.  These are reviewed for remediation by the Department of Public Works’ curb and gutter program based on priorities and available funding.  If you notice that the curb and gutter in front of your home or business is sunk, precluding proper positive drainage, you may wish to call the City’s 3-1-1 call center to initiate an investigation.

An effective pro-active solution that property owners can implement is to apply de-icing materials to the sidewalks in advance of forecasted snowstorms.  Placing de-icing materials on the pavement before the storm makes snow and ice accumulation less likely and removal much easier. 

Additionally, we recommend that business and homeowners not push snow into the streets as this will exacerbate ice formation in shaded areas.  Instead, place the removed snow on lawn areas where available, or move it to a sunny location where it can melt; as long as doing so does not create other safety hazards.