Lexington Gets Ready for Winter Storm and Snow

John Bobel

January 5, 2022

Lexington, Ky. (January 5, 2022) – With winter weather on its way, the City of Lexington is prepared for the forecasted snow starting on Thursday.

In anticipation of the snow, crews from the divisions of Water Quality and Streets & Roads have been applying brine to ranked roads since lunchtime Tuesday. The pretreatment will continue throughout the day today. Brine is effective as a pretreatment and can be applied up to 72 hours in advance.

Both of the City’s salt barns are full. In advance of winter weather, the City has also provided training for new employees on equipment, operation and routes. They have installed and checked equipment such as salt spreaders and snowplows.

Snow and ice removal in Fayette County is a joint effort between the City of Lexington and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The City divisions of Streets & Roads and Water Quality are responsible for snow and ice removal for approximately 1,400 lane miles of city and county roads. The state is responsible for plowing more than 800 lane miles of federal, state and county roads.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) advises motorists that road crews were busy Tuesday pre-treating bridges, overpasses and routes; their work will continue Wednesday.

Waste collection services for Thursday are expected to run on their regular schedule. Residents should place their carts at the end of their driveway, not in the roadway, and make sure the area in front of the carts is clear. Due to the predicted frigid temperatures, Friday’s waste collection will operate on a one hour delay.

Emergency Weather Plan

The Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention’s Community Emergency Winter Weather plan has been activated and will remain so through the morning of Saturday, Jan. 8 due to the cold temperatures. If you know of or see someone that appears to be in need of emergency shelter, call (859) 533-9199. If it is between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., call (859) 494-0470. For a list of all available shelters and transportation services, as well as other resources, visit uwbg211.org.

How to stay informed during the winter season

Website: Get the most up-to-date information about the measures the City is taking to ensure the wellness and safety of our residents at lexingtonky.gov/snowupdates. You can also view the snow and ice control plan with street and sidewalk rankings.

Social media: Get information on accidents, lane blockages, snow-and-ice trouble spots and road closures through the City’s Twitter accounts at @lexwrecks and @lexkypolice. General information, including, emergency and time-sensitive information, is available on the City’s Facebook account.

Traffic cameras:  Traffic at major intersections can be viewed in real-time through the city’s traffic cameras at lexingtonky.gov/traffic.