BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Brown County Public Works says they’ll take care of snow mounds at busy intersections, while homeowners will be stuck grabbing a shovel to clear out what’s at the end of their driveway.
But, look at the positives.
That miniature Mount Everest at the end of the driveway is just another opportunity to get outside for fresh air and exercise, or at least an opportunity for your kids.
“Mostly I would stick that on teenage kids, that’s what I would do,” says Brown County Public Works Director Paul Fontecchio. “But that’s me as a father of teenage kids.”
All the recent snowfall has created a number of towering snow mounds throughout the area, whether it be at highly trafficked intersections, parking lots, or at the foot of residential driveways.
According to Brown County Public Works, they’re busy at work mitigating the possible dangers at the busiest roadways.
“Like on Oneida Street in Green Bay, for example, or Packerland, we’ll try to open up some of those higher piles,” he explains.
He says there’s really only one process in which that’s achieved.
“We do what’s called benching,” says Fontecchio. “So we’ll actually push the whole pile back a few feet.”
That’s done to increase driver visibility at various intersections where a blind turn could spell disaster.
A lot of times this is the part of winter road maintenance that goes unnoticed by the public.
“I feel like we’re [public works] like magical elves, we’re out all night in the middle of the night,” he explains.
But unfortunately, the responsibilities of snow mound maintenance at residential locations falls on the shoulders of homeowners, because public works simply doesn’t have the resources necessary to come to individual homes.
Fontecchio says that the mounds can be fun for kids to play on top of, but the fun stops when that snow pile starts restricting a drivers vision when they are attempting to back out into the street.
He says when it gets to that point, the homeowner should conduct a simple test to see how much height needs to be knocked down.
“What you’re going to want to do is park your car at the end of your apron and start digging off the top of your piles until you can see,” he explains.
The unofficial height in which the pile is deemed safe will depend on the size of the vehicle.
He says the driver should be able to look both ways clearly over the pile when attempting to get out of the driveway.
