KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
Often times after a snowfall, people wake up to the aftermath. They'll see roads treated and a lot of main streets clear of snow and ice.
However, you don't usually get to meet the crews who do the work.
KSHB 41 went behind-the-scenes with public works crews in Prairie Village who work 12-hour shifts to clear away the snow.
Patrick Lisky has been with the department for seven years.
Lisky said he can work any route because he knows every area of Prairie Village.
"I enjoy it...I like plowing snow," he said. "It's fun. It's a challenge."
The city provides 24-hour snow removal coverage using eight crews.
By the time they're finished, they will have covered 258 lane miles.
KSHB 41 meteorologists said weather this week will be the worst it's been all winter.
"Because the temperatures are a lot colder, it's hard to get it clear to the black pavement, compared to other storms where you can get salt down and start the melting process," Lisky said. "This one pretty much is plowing off powder, snow and not getting it real clean."
Justin Norman, the grounds crew leader for the city's public works department, said they have a routine before crews head out.
“Every vehicle gets inspected thoroughly at the beginning and end of each shift," Norman said. "During snow operations, vehicles are constantly being looked over to make sure there are no hazards the drivers are unaware of."
Norman said there are benefits to Prairie Village being a smaller city. They can respond to situations quicker.
The city follows a priority system. Main roads like West 75th Street, Mission Road., and Roe Avenue are their first priority.
Two-lane neighborhood streets, followed by residential streets and cul-de-sacs, are cleared after the snow stops falling.
The department has a tracking system on each truck so they can go back and see how many passes were made down a street if they get a complaint.
Clinton Johnson, another public works employee, said sometimes there are reasons people don't see their neighborhood streets plowed.
"Sometimes, if cars are parked directly across from each other, sometimes bigger trucks can't get down the street," Johnson said "We may have to get a small truck to come out later and go down that street so some of those streets don't get missed, but get put on the back burner."
He said in those instances, they back down the street because they are not allowed to turn around in driveways because their trucks could cause damage.
Johnson said they try to keep residents in mind at all times.
"When we are plowing in the residential streets and we're coming up and someone has shoveled their driveway, we try to turn our blades straighter and that will help a little with not putting so much snow in their driveway," Johnson said.
Public works crews who deal with a handful of these storms each year may be out of sight to most people.
However, tracing their impact is hard to miss.
"Knowing that people are moving around the city, that we're not having any issues, accidents are being reduced and people are getting around our city safely makes it all worth it," Johnson said.
