Idaho Falls launches map to keep you updated on snow removal

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Public Works Department wants you to know where you can park in the winter, and when to expect the snow to be off your street and has recently launched a snow removal interactive map. You can now stay up to date on snow removal statuses, parking restrictions, removal priorities and removal methods.

“If anybody has any questions about snow removal and how we prioritize things or how it’s done and the why behind snow removal, they can go to this one simple web page,” Public Works spokeswoman Kerry Hammon said. “It’s all there.”

For the past few months, the public works department has been working through the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division to create the interactive tool. The map will project accurate information in a timely fashion.

Here’s how it works: The staff inside the street divisions are working with snow removal crews consistently. As soon as snow removal workers have cleared their zones, they will inform the staff, who will then update the map.

Although the map can be a beneficial tool during winter, it might come in handy the most when snow falls on a holiday.

“When we have a snow removal event happen, it could be on a holiday and so sometimes we don’t have the same staffing levels in the office answering the phone calls like we would on a regular day,” Hammon said. “This (map) will help not only the community to get on easily to find out what we’re doing, but it will also ease some of those phone calls on our staff.”

Hammon encourages people to sign up for weather notifications through the city’s communication tools or local media outlets. You should prepare for what stormy weather lies ahead by reviewing the map and procedures ahead of time she said, “especially for those people who just moved into Idaho Falls, so (they can be) aware of how we communicate with the public when we have parking restrictions in place so they can avoid getting a ticket.”

This is the third interactive map public works has launched this year. It also has an interactive construction map and an interactive sanitation/recycling map.

To access the interactive maps and sign up for alerts, click here.