Snow & Ice Control

Snow Removal

When a snow or ice event occurs, city personnel are split into two 12-hour shifts to run a 24-hour operation until streets are cleared. City crews clear roadways in a priority system starting with major city streets, then collector streets, then residential and neighborhood streets.

This system enables the city to first deal with roadways that serve the most drivers. If crews started with residential and neighborhood streets, citizens would have difficulty traveling beyond neighborhoods because the collector and major streets would still be covered in snow and ice.Snow Plow on Street

City crews are not responsible for clearing roadways within the city limits that are maintained by the state Department of Transportation (DOT), including such main roads as:

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
  • New Walkertown Road
  • Peters Creek Parkway
  • Robinhood Road
  • University Parkway
  • Waughtown Street

Find your street on the Snow & Ice Removal Map to see the schedule for snow and ice removal. State-maintained roads are included and visible once a citizen zooms in and/or searches an address. State-maintained roads are not treated by city crews. The city treats roads in this order: 

  • Major Roads - shown as blue on the map
  • Secondary Roads - shown as green on the map
  • Neighborhood Roads - shown as red on the map

The clearing of state-maintained roads is at the direction of the state. (All roadways that carry several routes, such as Business 40, U.S. 52, NC 67, and NC 158, are state-maintained roads. Some number roads may be better known by their street name. For example, portions of Silas Creek Parkway and Reynolda Road carry are designated as NC 67.)

Calls for Service

The city cannot respond to citizen requests to clear snow from state-maintained roads. Citizens should call the local state DOT maintenance office at 896-2350 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on workdays and after hours.

Calls for service for city streets should be made to CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000. If the CityLink agent determines that the street is state-maintained, the agent will forward the call to the state DOT office.

Equipment

The city of Winston-Salem has the following equipment for snow removal:

  • 25 salt spreaders
  • 25 trucks with push plows
  • 3 brine tanks
  • 5 motor graders
  • One 5,000-gallon brine storage tank

The city maintains a stockpile of approximately 2,000 tons of deicing salt.

Instructions for Citizens

The best thing to do during a snow or ice event is to stay home or stay off of the roadways. We understand that some people have to work and have to leave their homes, which is why crews work as hard and as fast as they can to clear city streets. However, if you don't have to go out, stay home and let crews do their job clearing the streets. This is for your safety and the safety of those working.