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The Town of Amherst has a population over 122,000 people and a land size encompassing 53.2 square miles which includes 511 miles of roads. Amherst is the largest Town in Upstate New York. The Amherst Highway Department has in place the following procedures and guidelines for snow and ice removal. The Highway Department is responsible to salt and plow over 320 miles of Town and County roadways. Most of the major roadways in Town are maintained by New York State DOT and Erie County Highway.
The following procedures are general guidelines that the Amherst Highway Department follows. Severe or unpredictable weather conditions will alter when and how the Highway Department responds to certain weather related storms or events.
Salting Procedure
There are three separate lists of employees that are assigned to a group for salting the roads. Each group is comprised of supervisors, heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and mechanics. The group of employees are responsible to be available 24/7 for 7 consecutive days. When the snow starts to fall or roads become icy the Highway Department will contact the Amherst Police about the road conditions. The General Foreman on duty, if necessary, will notify the working crew chiefs “on call” to check out the road conditions. Once it is determined to treat the Town’s roadways with salt the “on call” personnel are notified to come into work. There are 15 designated “salting routes” in the Town, and a salting truck is designated for each route. It takes approximately 5 hours to salt all the roads that the Highway Department is responsible to maintain.
Snowplowing Procedure
If the snow accumulates to the point that the salt is not effective the Highway Department will then go into a snow plow operation. When this happens there are 104 employees called in to work. There are 47 plow routes consisting of hi-lifts, large plow trucks and pickup truck plows. There is also a full complement of mechanics that service the equipment. To completely clear the entire Town which includes roadways, Town municipal lots and sidewalk district areas it will take about 6 to 8 hours. The Highway Department trucks are instructed to treat the higher traffic volume roads first. They will then go into the secondary roads. Dead end courts or cul de sacs will take longer to clean due to the limited access for the large plow vehicles. No one is sent home or allowed to leave until all the areas in the Town are clear.
Snow Parking Ban
The most desirable time to plow snow is when the Town’s parking ban is in effect. The parking ban runs from November 1st thru March 31st from 1am to 7am and prohibits any vehicles from parking on the roads in the Town. This allows the Highway Department trucks to clean the roads more effectively without vehicle traffic interference.
Road Obstructions
It is very important to keep the Refuse and Recycling totes out of the street. The totes will obstruct the plowing operation and the plow truck could damage the tote. It is illegal to deposit snow or ice into the street. The person, property owner or private plow operator can be given a summons if they violate New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law – Section 1219 or the Amherst Town Ordinance – Section 166-4.
Mailbox Replacement
When a Town Highway vehicle is responsible for damaging a mailbox during a plowing event the Highway Department will replace the mailbox and/or post with a standard replacement. The Highway Department will not replace custom-built, ornamental or one piece plastic mailboxes. The Highway Department is not responsible for damage caused by snow that is discharged off the snowplow.
As was mentioned earlier weather conditions can alter how effective our response time will be. If there is a continuous heavy snow fall it will extend our cleanup time. If there is extremely cold weather the salt will not be as effective and the roads could be slippery for a longer period of time. If a traffic advisory is issued to limit travel or stay off the roads we ask that you please do so. It will allow the trucks the opportunity to clear the roads in a more timely fashion. The Town of Amherst uses on average 14,000 tons of salt per winter season. We are hopeful that updating the salting trucks with more modern technology will help us reduce the amount of salt that is currently used.
The Amherst Highway Department’s primary goal is to keep the roads in the Town safe, especially during snow or ice storms. The safety of everyone in our Town is very important and we will use all our available resources to provide the services our resident expect and deserve.
Highway Department
1042 N Forest Rd
Williamsville,
NY
14221
(716)
631-7117
7:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Mon-Fri)
Highway Department
Parks Department
Refuse Control
Highway Department
Floss, Steven
Highway Superintendent
716-631-7117
Stanley, Kurt
Deputy Highway Superintendent
716-631-5990
Anderson, Paul
Deputy Highway Superintendent
716-631-5990 ext.
5917
Beck, Tina
Principal Clerk Typist
716-631-5990 ext.
5922
Bennett, Mark
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Blocher, Eric
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Bryan, Steve
Purchasing
716-631-5990 ext.
7261
Cottrell, Donna
Clerk - PT
716-631-5990 ext.
5916
Creamer, Dominic
Parks General Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Evans, Kathy
Clerk Typist
716-631-5990 ext.
5936
Galvin, Patrick
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Highway, Dispatch
716-631-5990 ext.
5910 or 5918
Hughes, Michael
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Mosquito, Control
716-631-5990 ext.
5926
Noltee, Michael
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Richter, Shelby
Clerk - Seasonal
716-631-7117 ext.
5958
Schoenle, William
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Schreck, Craig
General Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Scott, Beth
Account Clerk Typist
716-631-5990 ext.
5915
Specht, Steve
Sign & Signal Shop
716-631-7117
Spence, James
Laborer
716-631-5990 ext.
5958
Spoth, Al
General Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Stuhmuller, Mark
Shop Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Sykes, Todd
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Therrien, Todd
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Tremblett, Kevin
Shop Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Walsh, Shawn
Working Crew Chief
716-631-7117
Refuse Control
Lawida, James
Refuse Control Officer
716-631-5990 ext.
5944
Licata, Ryan
Senior Refuse Control Officer
716-631-5990 ext.
5943
Paterno, Anthony
Refuse Control Officer
716-631-7117 ext.
5933
Turton, James
Refuse Control Officer
716-631-7117 ext.
5933
Maple Road, New Road lane closures
Erie County Department of Public Works announces upcoming road restrictions: The portion of Maple Road (CR-192) between Hopkins Rd and N. Maplemere Rd will have a single lane road restriction. This restriction will begin on October 16, with an estimated completion date of October 18, or until complete. Work will be performed daily between the hours of 7am-4pm. This restriction is for the purpose of aerial pole surveys. Syracuse Utilities will be performing the work. The portion of New Road (CR-186) from Dodge Rd to Smith Rd will have a single lane road restriction from 7am to 5pm daily. This restriction will begin on October 21 and will continue until winter shutdown. This restriction is for the purpose of roadway rehabilitation and drainage improvements. Concrete Applied Technologies Corp, dba CATCO, will be performing the work. (DPW road work announcements are coordinated through Erie County. Town of Amherst shares this information as a public service announcement for residents.)
Posted on Oct 09, 2024 by the Highway Department.
Highway Dept. Reminder: Do NOT Place Leaf Piles in Roadways
Town of Amherst Highway Department crews continue with Fall Leaf Pickup, which started Oct. 7 (earlier than recent years) in an attempt to better handle this massive undertaking. Town residents can be helpful in this effort by following the guidelines outlined on the Town’s website, found by clicking the link below. Most importantly – please do NOT rake leaves into the street - it is unsafe and illegal. Please place your leaves on the area between the sidewalk and the curb (or adjacent to the roadway for those without sidewalks) and the Highway Department will pick them up. For the next several weeks crews will be cycling through the town’s 1,300 streets to collect leaves. Your patience and cooperation is appreciated.
Click to view document
Click for website link
Posted on Oct 03, 2024 by the Highway Department.
Highway Announces 2024 Paving Schedule
Town of Amherst Highway Superintendent Steve Floss has announced that the Amherst Highway Department will spend $3.2 million this year to pave and repair 60 Town roads. That money will come from Amherst’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) bond money as well as funds from New York State that provides money through the CHIPS roads programs. See attached document for complete announcement.
Click to view documentClick for website link