DSNY Issues Winter Operations Advisory for Tuesday, December 24 at 4:00 AM
December 23, 2024
Department issues clear reminder to New Yorkers: You are not Rudolph! Drive SLOWLY AND SAFELY during winter weather this Christmas Eve.
The New York City Department of Sanitation has issued a Winter Operations Advisory for Tuesday, December 24, 2024, beginning at 4:00 a.m., and salt spreading operations are possible throughout the day. A Winter Operations Advisory is the Department's "lower level" snow-fighting notification, as opposed to the "higher level" Snow Alert.
Up to an inch of snow is expected Tuesday morning, and a significant portion of that may fall during the Tuesday morning rush hour. Given the extremely cold temperatures the last few days, the majority of this snow is likely to "stick," necessitating a substantial and prolonged salting operation.
During the length of these winter operations, New Yorkers are STRONGLY urged to stay off the roads if possible, and if they must drive, to do so SLOWLY AND SAFELY.
Remember, there is no one but you guiding your sleigh this Christmas Eve; be safe on the roads so that New York's Strongest can make it home safely as well.
For this weather event, DSNY may begin pre-treatment and brining operations as early as Monday evening, with 700 salt spreaders filled and ready to go when precipitation begins early Tuesday morning. The Department has approximately 700 million pounds of salt on hand, a historically high wintertime headcount, and new high-tech ways of tracking snow operations.
Sanitation Workers will also be on extended shifts collecting trash, recycling, and compostable material, especially given that there is no collection on Christmas Day.
In a snow event, New York City's Sanitation Workers cover our streets, highways, and bike lanes, but all residents should remember that clearing snow from sidewalks is the property owners' responsibility. Property owners must to do their part to make sure that the sidewalks are passable.
All winter weather information and information about the City's response to the storm can be found by visiting the City's Severe Weather website at nyc.gov/severeweather or by calling 311.
Operations Update
Thanks to historic investments in DSNY, the Department's Workers and equipment are more prepared for winter weather than ever before.
Every street is on a route, and unlike in past years, every route can be dispatched at the same time, bringing equity in snow clearance to the entire City. Thanks to historic investments in DSNY, bike lanes will also be serviced simultaneously alongside car lanes. DSNY will be tracking these operations via the new Bladerunner 2.0 platform.
In the unlikely event that a plowable depths of 2" or more are reached, residents will be able to track the progress of DSNY snow removal vehicles at nyc.gov/PlowNYC. Remember, a plowed or salted street will not show blacktop right away.
Trash/Recycling Collection
There is no change to DSNY collection or to bin requirements at this time.
Snow Clearing Information
While DSNY clears streets and bike lanes, property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. As a reminder, property owners and car owners may NOT push snow into the street, including bike lanes. This impedes snow clearing operations and is illegal. Snow may be moved against the building, to the curb line, or areas on private property. Sidewalks should be passable for all pedestrians, including a minimum 4-foot clear path, where possible.
If the snow stops falling between:
- 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., property owners must clear sidewalks within 4 hours
- 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., property owners must clear sidewalks within 14 hours
- 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., property owners must clear sidewalks by 11 a.m.
The fine for failure to clear sidewalks is $100 for the first offense, $150 for the second offense and $250 for the third offense.
Alternate Side Parking
Alternate Side Parking will be suspended Tuesday, December 24, to allow these operations to proceed and to help New Yorkers stay off the roads.
New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for NotifyNYC, the City's free emergency notification system, available in 14 languages including ASL. Through NotifyNYC, New Yorkers can sign up to receive phone calls, text messages, and emails alerts about severe weather events and emergencies. To sign up for Notify NYC, call 311, visit nyc.gov/notify or follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.
Find information on Sanitation snow operations along with residents' responsibilities during and after snow at nyc.gov/snow.