Summary of Street Services of the Operations Department
Janesville has 310 miles of paved and about 10 miles of gravel streets. The major portion
of street maintenance and repair in the City of Janesville is accomplished by the Operations
Department. This includes repair of bituminous and concrete streets except for major street
reconstruction activities. Crack filling and pothole repair activities increase the life expectancy
of the paved streets. Gravel streets also require significant maintenance to provide a good driving
surface. Calcium chloride is utilized on the gravel streets to control dust. During the summer months,
residential streets are swept four times and downtown streets are swept five times. The two most
intense cleaning cycles occur in the spring and fall. The spring sweeping cycle removes sand and
debris accumulated during the winter months. The fall sweeping cycle occurs after the leaf collection
program and removes the remaining debris after the collection effort. Another activity limited to the
summer months is weed cutting. Medians and other public right-of-way areas are mowed at least three
times a year to control grass and noxious weeds.
The major activity of the Operations Department during the winter months is snow plowing and snow
removal. The objective of the snow plowing operations is to plow all City streets within 10 hours after
a snowfall. Snow plowing can begin any hour of the day because weather conditions vary greatly from storm
to storm. In general, citywide plowing operations begin when snow depth reaches 2 to 3 inches. Chemical
treatment is used on snowfalls less than 2 to 3 inches. Typically, accumulated snow is removed from downtown
parking lots and streets during the first 1 or 2 days after a snowfall. The snow is also cleared from
sidewalks adjacent to publicly owned lands within 72 hours after a snowfall. Homeowners are responsible for
clearing their own sidewalks.
All traffic signs, street name signs, and construction barricades are maintained by the Operations
Department. Traffic control signs and signals are recommended by the Transportation Committee to the City
Council. Pavement marking necessary for traffic control is repainted annually. Parking stalls are usually
painted every three years. The Operations Department is also responsible for providing maintenance, repair
and operating services for City vehicles with the exception of transit and fire vehicles.
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Winter Weather and Recycling Guide 2010.pdf
- Winter Weather Information Brochure.pdf