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Public Works - Street Services

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1. Why are arterial streets selected before residential streets when the pavement condition shows better than my residential street?

Arterial streets are selected for overlaying over residential streets because the arterial streets serve more capacity than residential streets on a daily basis. If both arterial and residential street pavements have the same Pavement Condition Index (PCI), the arterial street's pavement will fail more rapidly than a residential street's pavement. Pavement Management System

2. How do I know if my street is categorized as a primary, secondary or residential street?

A complete list of all the streets we plow and their classifications is available by viewing the following document. Snow Plow Atlas

3. Why does the sweeper come down the main road but not sweep the cul-de-sac on which I live?

The main road in front of your cul-de-sac is a collector arterial. These streets are swept on a monthly schedule. Your cul-de-sac street is classified as residential and is swept quarterly. Street Sweeping Schedule

4. Why haven't the plow trucks come to my neighborhood yet?

All city streets are plowed / sanded according to priority; arterial streets first, collector streets second and residential streets once the main roads are cleared. Snow Plow Atlas

5. Why does the plow truck leave a berm of snow across my driveway?

Our goal is to clear the roadway for safe travel. Unfortunately, berming is an inconvenient result of plowing. Adjacent property owners are responsible for clearing the berm to gain access to the roadway. We do not have the available resources to provide this service, and this is one way you can help.

6. Why is the plow truck driving down the street with his plow up?

If the street was just sanded with the salt / sand mixture, the plow is trying to avoid removing any product that was just applied.

7. Why are the main roads bare and wet, while my neighborhood has compact snow and ice?

It has taken many passes to get the main roads bare and wet, which is a priority before moving to residential areas. Your neighborhood has probably only had one pass, and except for a thin layer, the bulk of the snow has been removed. It has also been sanded and can be navigated safely if you drive in a prudent manner.

8. What products does the city use to combat the snow and ice?

The city uses a one-to-one ratio of salt / sand mixture. We also use calcium chloride with Boost. Both of these are industry standards and environmentally friendly.

9. My sidewalk needs to be shoveled. When will you be here to do that?

Unfortunately, the city does not have the available resources to clear sidewalks. Adjacent property owners are responsible for clearing snow off the sidewalk.

10. When do you sand?

Sand and/or salt is used in combination with plowing to provide reasonable driving surfaces in icy conditions. Spot sanding will be done at specific locations on primary and secondary routes, as requested, and as time permits.

11. How do you select which streets to overlay?

The City of Federal Way follows a consistent practice of evaluating road surfaces and prioritizing what gets overlaid in any given year. The city selects which streets will be overlaid based on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating, which is measured annually by an independent consultant. The streets have ratings from 0 to 100, where 100 is new / excellent pavement. The streets are grouped into cohesive areas to maximize the cost effectiveness of the project. Pavement Management System

12. Why isn’t the overlay project work done at night to avoid traffic congestion?

The city has looked at every situation to determine if night work is feasible. If an arterial street is in a business or commercial area, the city will schedule the work at night to avoid impacts to businesses and traffic. Based upon past practice, if the arterial street is in a residential zone, the impact to this area (noise from construction equipment - grinders and vibratory compactors) is severe and generates numerous complaints from residents, therefore overriding the issue of traffic congestion.

13. When will my street will get overlaid?

The city selects streets to be overlaid based on the lowest Pavement Condition Index (PCI) ratings in the Pavement Management Systems (PMS) report and the available budget in the program. City staff prioritizes all street pavement conditions and available budget for that given year before a list is compiled and presented as a recommendation to the City Council. Pavement Management System

14. Why did the sweeper go by on my street, but not come back up the other side?

That would mean that either the sweeper was full and needed to be dumped, or it was the end of the driver's shift. In either case, the driver will resume where they left off the next time they're in town.

15. Can the city post No Parking signs on the day before the sweeper is scheduled?

The sweeping schedule differs from month to month as to the exact day the sweeper will be there. The city does not have the resources to place signage on all of the streets that would be swept and/or relocate the signs from day to day.