The Pawnee Street Department is responsible for keeping over 50 miles of street pavement clean and in good repair. The crews sweep streets, remove snow and ice, repair potholes, and take care of minor asphalt and concrete paving jobs. They also provide maintenance for bridges and drainage systems.
Routine maintenance of the streets reduces the number of repairs required. Maintenance includes crack sealing, seal coating and overlay. The Department monitors the performance of City streets and in conjunction with City staff establishes multi-year maintenance programs.
Danny Miner
Pawnee City Hall
510 Illinois St.
Pawnee OK, 74058
Telephone: (918) 762-2658
Maintenance Strategies
- Crack seal - Bituminous or blacktop pavement by design is flexible to accommodate the freeze/thaw cycle of our climate. Subsequently, cracking will occur in relatively new pavement and continue throughout its life due to age, traffic, weather, etc. Crack "filling" is the placement of a liquid asphalt emulsion into the void, coating the newly exposed internal surface of the pavement to limit further deterioration and provide a protective coating to seal out water.
- Sealcoat - Sealcoat is a liquid that is applied to asphalt to protect it from oxidation and the damage caused by winter cracking, as well as UV rays and traffic. Asphalt surfaces are sealed using an asphalt based sealer that penetrates the surface and replenishes the oils necessary to keep the pavement flexible and provide proper protection against freeze, thaw, oil, gas and road salt.
- Pothole Repair - Winter weather is especially hard on city streets. Potholes can be caused by water in the pores and cracks of pavement freezing and expanding, then thawing. More moisture can then enter and the cycle repeats. The repeated expansion forces weaken and break apart the pavement and, as vehicles drive over the weakened areas, potholes are gouged from the concrete or asphalt surface.
Our goal is to provide snow removal to facilitate safe traffic flow for those drivers using city streets and roads. During severe weather, the Street Department staff works extended shifts, weekends, and holidays. Staff from various other departments assist the Street Department as required for all staff to remain safe and healthy.
Plowing and/or Sanding of Private Property
Unless there is direct benefit to the city operations or unless emergency vehicles require access to a specific location, there will be no plowing or sanding of private property with city equipment.
In the event of winter weather and/or snow accumulation, city efforts will focus on clearing city streets. The clearing of private driveways, during and after plowing shall be the responsibility of each property owner.
General Information
The time required to clear snow and ice from roads varies depending on the following conditions:
- Snowstorm intensity
- Snowstorm duration
- Temperature
- Traffic conditions
- Time of day
Equipment
The Street Department has three salt trucks, four plows, three front-end loaders, one grader, one skid loader, and four backhoes from other departments when needed.
Street Clearing Schedule
- Priority 1 Emergency service providers, hills, bridges, bus routes, major arteries, and the downtown area
- Priority 2 Major arteries and residential
- Priority 3 Airport, cemetery, and city owned parking lots
School bus routes are assigned Priority 1 or 2 and given special attention. Operators will return to widen roads as conditions warrant. During a major storm, cleanup operations may be on-going for three to four days following the storm. Public health protection requires that the Division of Solid Waste provide garbage, and yard waste collection regardless of weather conditions. The exception is during an emergency situation such as heavy snow and ice.
Snow Removal Responsibilities
The following roads are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT):
- US 64/SH 18 (Fourth St.)
- US 64 (Harrison St.)
The City of Pawnee assists ODOT with US 64/SH 18 and US 64 that are in the city limits of Pawnee. There are over 100 lane miles of streets in the city limits. Lane miles are the number of lanes along a road multiplied by the distance.
The City of Pawnee also works with rail line operators to make sure approaches and road crossings experience limited impact.
The City of Pawnee also works with rail line operators to make sure approaches and road crossings experience limited impact.
Plowing Procedure
- The city will plow in such a manner as to minimize traffic obstructions. The city will initially plow the center of the streets, then widen the streets with discharge going onto the edge of the street. This process will deposit snow into the driveway.
- The city shall not be responsible for plowing snow from any sidewalk and/or driveway nor shall it be responsible for clearing vehicles parked on streets. Depending on snowfall conditions and duration of the storm, clean up operations may widely fluctuate.
- Crews start with the priority streets and then move to the residential streets. Removal efforts do continue until safety hazards caused by a snow or ice emergency have been eliminated.
- Upon request from emergency services (fire, medical, police), the Street Department and entire Pawnee Public Works Authority will dispatch the necessary workers and equipment to ensure that the emergency service in question can properly respond to emergency calls.