By Meghan Marsh
Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus experienced its first significant snowfall of the year on Jan. 16-17. Just like the snow on the Drillfield, when it comes to snow removal operations, the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities had it covered.
Ever wonder what it takes when it comes to managing snow operations on the Blacksburg campus – before, during, and after snow? The division’s Facilities Operations units shared these statistics from their recent snow deployment.
Background information
Temperature: High, 28 degrees; low, 14 degrees. Winds: Sustained 15-20 mph winds, with gusts up to 35 mph. Total snowfall: 7.6 inches of snow.
Size of Blacksburg campus: 2,600 acres covered in snow.
Manpower
158 Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities employees alongside numerous facilities and residential assistant partners from Athletics and Housing and Residence Life dedicated to snow preparation and removal.
133 Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities employees alongside numerous facilities and residential assistant partners from Athletics, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and Housing and Residence Life dedicated to shoveling/salting campus by hand.
63 Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities employees who stayed in town/overnight to be prepared for incoming snow and ice.
One vendor – Valley Landscaping – assigned to clearing parking lots around the clock.
Up to 12-hour shifts worked removing snow and ice.
4,128 hours worked removing snow and ice after the snowfall..
Equipment
92 shovels to clear off pathways, building entrances, and stairs.
28 Toro snow blowers to clear off pathways and building entrances.
Six trucks equipped with snow plows to push snow off major campus roadways, including the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and the Southgate interchange.
To clear pathways and roadways:
Five John Deere tractors.
Three Toro heavy duty workmen.
Three Bobcat UTVs.
Two Holland tractors.
Two Ventracs.
One Kubota tractor.
One John Deere motor grader.
Materials
900 bags of salt to clear stairways and pathways.
109 tons of road salt to clear roadways.
8,700 gallons of salt brine to pretreat sidewalks, roads, and parking lots.
Total snow cleared
35.8 miles of asphalt sidewalk cleared.
92.8 miles of concrete sidewalk cleared.
156 sets of exterior stairways cleared.
