F&S staff is dedicated to snow/ice removal efforts and will be working to keep the university open and accessible for students, faculty, and staff.
With the season’s first significant snowfall forecast for campus, Facilities & Services (F&S) staff is dedicated to snow/ice removal efforts and will be working to keep the university open and accessible for students, faculty, and staff.
Campus snow removal is a carefully coordinated, cooperative effort involving multiple F&S departments and the cities of Champaign and Urbana.
Links to city and state snow removal information, campus web cameras to view conditions, and parking information are available on the F&S website: http://www.fs.illinois.edu/services/maintenance/snow-removal. If you have questions about snow removal, contact the F&S Service Office, 217-333-0340.
Your patience and assistance are appreciated while crews do their best to clear snow and work as quickly as practical to expedite its removal.
Parking:
If assigned parking areas have yet to be plowed, use designated priority lots (E14, B1, F27) and Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) service. Please do not park in unplowed lots as it further complicates and delays snow removal efforts.
Sidewalks/Pathways:
Typically, an initial clearing pass is made of all 80 miles of campus sidewalk by 8:00 a.m. Variable winter weather conditions can significantly impact locations across campus, forming persistent snow/ice in some areas and impeding the ability of the F&S Grounds department to maintain sidewalk and bicycle pathways cleared from edge-to-edge. University Housing and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics perform some snow removal at campus residence halls and athletic facilities.
Pretreatment:
Prior to winter weather events, F&S Grounds and Transportation crews will apply brine to streets, parking lots, and sidewalks to assist with melting snow and ice. This de-icing solution is an economical and effective way to pretreat large areas of campus without harming the landscape.
Road Salt:
Due to repeated snow and ice events last winter, regional salt supplies remain at lower-than-normal levels causing some salt prices to more than double from last year. Current university reserves are sufficient for a winter with typical snowfall. F&S will continue to evaluate all available supply options and will stay in contact with the cities of Champaign and Urbana to coordinate snow removal.
Extreme Conditions:
At any time, winter weather conditions may become so unusual or unexpected that F&S staff, in consultation with campus administration, may briefly order a departure from general snow removal procedures.