Westfield details its winter weather treatment plan

Westfield city officials encourage residents to stay weather-aware. The Westfield Public Works Department (WPWD) works to keep the city’s roads safe during snow and ice events.

As winter arrives, please take note of the city’s treatment plan for any upcoming winter weather events.

Priority Areas
Treatment of main roads, emergency routes & high-traffic areas

• WPWD staff monitors weather forecasts to prepare for snow and ice control operations ahead of anticipated precipitation.
• Pretreatment of roads (if conditions allow) begins with brine or salt solutions, focusing on emergency routes, bus routes, and high-traffic thoroughfares.
• Plowing starts when snow accumulation reaches two inches or more, prioritizing main streets, public safety routes, and critical infrastructure access points.
• Salt is applied to major intersections, hills, curves, and bridges during both pretreatment and plowing phases.
• Once snowfall ends, plowing and salting operations continue until all priority routes are clear and safe.
• Repeated salting or plowing occurs to mitigate refreezing in extreme cold weather conditions.

Secondary Areas
Neighborhood streets & side roads

• Snow removal for residential and secondary streets begins after main roads are cleared and when snow accumulation exceeds three inches.
• Residential streets are cleared to make them passable, but intersections and steep inclines may receive additional attention.
• Secondary streets are not pretreated with salt unless specific hazardous conditions, such as ice storms, arise.
• Sidewalk plowing (where applicable) focuses on routes near schools and public buildings.

How can residents help?

• Avoid parking vehicles on streets to allow plow trucks easier access to snow-covered areas.
• Refrain from shoveling or blowing snow back into the street after plows pass; this can create additional hazards.
• Clear sidewalks adjacent to homes promptly to ensure pedestrian safety.
• Place trash and recycling bins at least three feet away from the curb to avoid interference with plow operations.
• Residents are encouraged to monitor communication from the City of Westfield for updates on service schedules during prolonged snow events.

Click here to see the interactive snow plow map. Users can click the “Legend” button on the left side to see which streets are primary and secondary.

Please note that if neighborhood streets are privately maintained, WPWD does not treat these roadways. When viewing the above interactive snow plow map, privately plowed streets are denoted by a dotted line.