By the numbers

The grounds and buildings maintenance department ensures that the miles of campus pathways are accessible after a snowstorm. (photo: Brian Wilson)

When a snowstorm hits the University, staff members from the grounds and buildings maintenance department fan out across campus to make roads, parking lots and walkways usable for staff, students and faculty.

• Staff members need to clear 12 miles of publicly accessed roads; 10 miles of private lanes and drives; 50 parking areas and pedestrian plazas; more than 50 miles of public and private walkways and ramps; and more than 2,500 steps that connect walkways.
• The department typically uses 40 staff members, 25 helpers from the trade shops and three contractors to clean up after a storm. Up to 20 tractors and 15 trucks with plows and sanding units are used. Usually the job takes six to eight hours.
• This winter through mid-February, 1,000 gallons of liquid brine were put on lanes leading to parking lots, roads and walks as a pretreatment to delay icing.
• After plowing roads and shoveling walkways, staff members put down salt and other products. Different products are used in various areas to reduce harmful effects on surfaces or plant life. Through mid-February, 450 tons of rock salt and cinder were spread on roads and parking lots to improve traction for vehicles; 105 tons of a combination of salt and sand were used on courtyard and garden walks; 50 tons of sand and magnesium acetate-treated salt went on parking decks and newly poured concrete walks; and 425 drums of calcium chloride pellets were spread on stone and concrete surfaces, which helps to reduce materials such as sand and rock salt from being tracked into buildings.