PUBLIC WORKS – York Township

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YORK TOWNSHIP WINTER MAINTENANCE POLICIES

OVERVIEW

The objective of the York Township Department of Public Works winter maintenance program is to provide safe roads to the traveling public.

WINTER MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES

We divided all Township roads into routes. An operator with pre-determined equipment is assigned to one of these routes. The majority of the time this is standard deployment, however, depending on the conditions we may only deploy 6 operators to treat the snow emergency roads or what is designated as the priority routes. Snow emergency roads are posted with signs and are designated as such due to factors of high traffic volume, steep grades, and areas with limited access or close proximity to the schools, police, fire, and medical facilities.

Prior to the storm you may notice the pretreating of certain priority roads with liquid salt brine. The salt brine is a specific concentration (23.3 %) of sodium chloride that lowers the freezing point of water. Although we would like to pre-treat all of our roads, it’s just not possible due to time and equipment availability. When appropriate we plan to pretreat all of the snow emergency routes with liquid salt brine.

SNOW EMERGENCIES

On rare occasions a snow emergency will be declared. The initial focus will be on the priority (snow emergency posted) roads. The snow emergency declaration will be broadcast on the local radio and television stations and will be posted on the York Township website. Again, all snow emergency streets are identified with signage. After the snow emergency is declared, it shall be unlawful at any time during the continuance of the emergency for any person:

To park a motor vehicle or to allow that vehicle to remain parked anywhere on any snow emergency routes designated; or
To operate a motor vehicle on any such snow emergency route in such a manner or in such a reasonable condition as to allow or permit such vehicle to become stalled on such route, either by reason of the fact that the driving wheels of such vehicle are not equipped with tire chains or effective tires or by reason of the fact that the motor fuel supply of such vehicle has been allowed to become exhausted.

Failure to abide by the above is a violation of a Township ordinance and may result in fines and / or towing costs. For a complete listing of the streets and a full text of the ordinance please visit the Township web site.

STATE ROADS

Many roads within York Township are owned and maintained by PennDOT. Refer to our website for a list of all state roads. PennDOT has their own policies and procedures for winter maintenance. Please contact the local PennDOT maintenance office at 717-848-6230 for assistance. York Township does not perform winter maintenance on any state roads.

MAILBOXES and DRIVEWAYS

York Township WILL NOT compensate property owners should their mailbox, or any other object become damaged due to the removal of snow from Township roads. Any object placed in the road right-of-way, including a mailbox, fence, landscaping, etc. is at the owner’s risk. The public right-of-way is on average 50 feet wide (25 feet from the center of the roadway).

It is suggested that you wait until all plowing is complete before shoveling out the end of your driveway. If you do shovel out before the plows have come through, try to clear a spot upstream of your driveway. This will allow the snow from the plow to unload before the driveway. It won’t prevent all snow from going back in front of your driveway, but it will reduce the amount. The snow must be plowed from the street, therefore all driveways and properties will be affected to some degree.

STREET CLEANING

Street cleaning usually begins after winter maintenance completely ends. It is a continuous process that does not stop until all streets have been cleaned. York Township does not clean (maintain) state roads.

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RESIDENTIAL BRUSH DROP OFF

The brush site is open from Fridays at 3:30pm until Mondays at 7:00am. Weekends only!

Brush is defined as tree limbs and shrubbery no larger than 6” in diameter and 6 feet in length. We ask that you participate in this program responsibly by dumping lawful items that can safely be processed by our machine. Items such as garbage, metals, concrete, lumber, stumps, stones, grass clippings etc. will cause damage to the machine. All other material and items you see beyond the gate are for Township use only and is not meant for the general public to use or take. If you see a violation, please report it to the Township or York County Regional Police Department. The site is under constant video surveillance.

York Township accepts brush from York Township residents only as part of our recycling efforts. Please be prepared to confirm Township residency! Brush recycling is intended to clean up small amounts of debris from residential properties. The program is not intended to accept large tree removal projects. Large projects such as removing entire trees should employ the services of a commercial contractor. If you have large amounts of material to dispose of, please contact a tree service or the York County Solid Waste Authority at 717-845-1066. The drop off site is located at the Township Campus beyond the gate between the two signs. Please enter from Oak Road. Do not enter from Coventry Road as this is a restricted area for Township employees only.

WASTE OIL COLLECTION

Waste oil is accepted at the Public Works Service Building (lower campus level) Monday to Friday from 7:00am -3:30pm. Please do not drop off oil after hours. Accepted waste oil includes motor, cooking & transmission oils. We do not accept gasoline or engine coolant (anti-freeze).

OBSTRUCTIONS THAT OVERHANG THE ROAD

Please be aware that as property owners in York Township, you are responsible to keep your property clear from any obstructions that overhang the edge of the road. Examples include, but are not limited to, tree limbs, shrubbery, hedges, grassy areas, mailboxes, fencing, etc.

Many activities occur close to the curb with large vehicles that can be impacted when these obstructions exist. Examples include snow and ice removal, street sweeping, street paving, trash collection, school bus travel, etc.

Overgrown tree limbs and vegetation also impact the sight distance for the motoring public which can be a safety concern. Refer to Ordinance #2014-5 found on the website for the specific requirements.

EMERGENCIES

If you observe what would appear to be an emergency with sanitary sewers, roadways, or storm water facilities, please call the Public Works Department from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm Monday through Friday at 741-3861 ext.170. After these hours or on weekends & holidays dial 911.