With snow on the ground, it's no surprise to hear the roar of a plow coming down the street.
"Whenever we get a snow event, we have to treat it some how. So whether it be ice like we have seen earlier or a wet snow event like we just had. We have a series of streets set up that are called emergency snow routes and we also have another series of streets called secondary routes," Street Fleet Manager Galynn Huber said.
But what exactly are these secondary routes?
"If people are at their house and only have to drive a couple of blocks to get to one of these secondary routes, which, will get them to a clear emergency route and then they can get into town and into work and stuff like that. That we basically keep the city running. We don't have to shut the city down," Huber said.
Most of these routes were set into place back in the 1990s but as the city has changed, so have some of the routes.
"The whole core of the city has been the same since the 90s. The only thing has changed is expanding out in the east and south, the outside of the city. Where we have grown and added more subdivisions," Huber said.
Many of the secondary routes will help get you and your neighbors to a cleared emergency route but there is an exception.
"There are certain areas in Sioux Falls, based on the terrain and the river running through it, are one way in and one way out so we have those areas designated as secondary routes," Huber said.
Huber said this was the first year they have ever put down chemicals twice on all residential streets.
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