Photo essay: Snow Day

What a difference a few days makes. It’s all melted away now, but back on Feb.18, more than five inches of fresh snow blanketed the university – the second time in a week that heavy snow brought crews to work in the wee hours to clear campus streets, walks and lots.

Whether there’s an inch or a foot on the ground, the university’s snow removal team is called to action. Once the snow stops falling, it takes about six hours for the Environmental Services crew to make its first sweep through the campus. Equipment operators, sidewalk sanders and others often must come to work by 2 a.m., even on the weekend. The early start helps them get the work done before the campus becomes crowded with vehicles and pedestrians. Employees may continue to clear and haul snow for several days, depending on the scope of the storm.

Trucks from Joe Daniels Construction help remove snow from large parking areas like lots 60 and 70. For a portfolio of photos on the heavy lifting, see page 16. Photo: Jeff Miller

A smaller loader scoops up and piles snow in Lot 62 in front of Veterinary Medicine. The snow is then loaded into large trucks and hauled away. Photo: Jeff Miller

Among the first pieces of equipment to hit the streets after a snowfall are the five broom tractors that brush off the miles of campus sidewalks.

In the other three seasons, you’ll see them pruning trees, mowing lawns, planting and tending gardens, repairing blacktop or posting signs. But in winter, the Environmental Services crew of 24 has the task of clearing the snow and ice from streets and sidewalks. Snowblowers and shovels are used to tackle areas that heavier equipment can’t reach.

A worker salts steep steps at Bascom Hall. Building maintenance, custodial and campus services staff also help to clear steps and walks around campus buildings. Photo: Jeff Miller

As the day dawns, Lot 70 is ready to receive vehicles. Photo: Jeff Miller Left: Among the first pieces of equipment to hit the streets after a snowfall are the five broom tractors that brush off the miles of campus sidewalks. Photo: Jeff Miller