Just in time for Thursday's winter storm, Jefferson City has updated its list of snow routes.
On Tuesday night, the City Council approved adding several routes. The last update of the snow routes was done in 1987.
"The city has added a number of roads since the last update, such as Edgewood Drive and brought some in thanks to annexation, such as Algoa Road and Militia Drive," said Jefferson City Public Works Director Roger Schwartze. "In looking at routes, we looked at heaviest traveled routes, bus routes and making sure there's good service to all areas of the city."
The new routes added include all of Boonville Road, Belair Drive, Bald Hill Road, Edgewood Drive, Lorenzo Green Drive, Vieth Drive and Satinwood Drive, Wildwood Drive and South Country Club Drive.
"Southridge Drive was added because the county ambulances are now based there," said Schwartze. "Mission Drive into the new St. Mary's Hospital is also designated as a snow route."
He said his staff plans to operate in today's storm with these new snow routes in place.
"The change made Tuesday night means these are now priority routes that we'll start removing snow from first before going to other residential streets," Schwartze said. "It doesn't have anything to do with parking."
There is an ordinance about declaring a snow emergency where you can't park on designated snow routes.
Schwartze said there are only four routes that are part of that ordinance:
• Portions of West Main Street
• Portions of Madison Street south of Dunklin Street
• East McCarty Street east of Lafayette Street
• Stadium Drive between Jefferson Street and Southwest Boulevard.
"These are on the list because they have narrow sections that people have parked on," Schwartze said.
"We have 24 trucks on snow removal duty in the city, and each is assigned certain streets in an area," Schwartze said. Doing this just make it more official as to where they go. This is not only for snow removal, but any other disaster, such as a tornado. These would be the routes to work on first to get back open."