Plowing Priorities

Snow and ice control operations are limited by the resources available (specifically: budget, personnel, equipment and materials). Due to these limited resources, the level of service for snow and ice control has been associated with the Department’s established highway corridor priorities.

For each highway corridor priority, target route lengths will dictate the normal cycle times that can be expected based upon average conditions, while local geographic and/or geometric factors will dictate whether particular routes need to be longer or shorter than average. In addition, during a winter storm event, the level of service for all routes will typically be reduced between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 4:00 A.M, depending upon specific storm conditions.

The following table provides an overview of the various goals associated with each corridor priority.

Quick Reference Table		Level-of-Service Goals	Route Length (CL Mi.)
Snow and Ice Control	P1 Interstate	South of Exit 197 both travel and passing lanes and north of Exit 197 the travel lane will normally be clear within 3 daylight hours after a storm. Maximum recommended travel speeds during a storm will normally be 45 mph but may be less during extraordinary events	10
	P1 Non-Interstate	Travel lanes will normally be clear within 3 daylight hours after the storm. Maximum recommended travel speeds will be 40 mph during a normal storm, may be less during extraordinary events	10
	P2	Travel lanes will be clear within 8 daylight hours after the storm. Maximum recommended travel speeds will be 35-40 mph during a normal storm, may be less during extraordinary events	12
	P3	Travel lanes will be clear within 24 hours after the storm. Maximum recommended travel speeds will be 35-40 mph during a normal storm, may be less during extraordinary events	14
	P4 & P5	Travel lanes will be clear within 30 hours after the storm. Maximum recommended travel speeds will be 35 mph during a normal storm, may be less during extraordinary events	16

Additional Information

Priority Corridors in Maine (Map Viewer)

This page last updated on 8/30/12

mainedot winter driving information

Plowing Priorities

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