Snow and Ice Control

Winter Weather Road Maintenance

The Highway Maintenance division plows and provides ice control on county and state highways and expressways in Milwaukee County. 

This is part of an arrangement, unique to Wisconsin, in which the state contracts with all 72 county highway departments to maintain the state highway system. Learn more about winter road maintenance in Wisconsin.
 

Snow and Ice Removal Techniques

Milwaukee County Highway Maintenance staff are highly trained to use snow and ice removal techniques that save time and money, and are aligned with environmentally sustainable practices.

• Anti-icing prevents the formation of frost and the bonding of snow and ice to the pavement, which makes it easier for the plow to remove mechanically.

• Pre-wetting is the addition of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, salt brine or other liquid agents to salt and sand. This helps the mixture stick to the road instead of blowing off to the shoulder, which reduces the amount of material needed. It also helps the salt start working more quickly. Several studies have shown that with pre-wetting up to 30% more salt stays on the roadway. 

• De-icing uses chemical or mechanical means to break the bond that has formed between ice and the pavement. This can be achieved using either pre-wetted salt or a process called Direct Liquid Application (DLA) in which liquid brine is sprayed directly on the roadway during a winter event.

Responsible Salt Use on County and State Roadways

Milwaukee County is always evaluating how to reduce the amount of salt used to return roadways to safe winter driving conditions.

• Whenever possible, we use strategies such as brining to reduce the use of salt
• All MCDOT Highway staff are trained on an annual basis in partnership with Salt WISE Wisconsin (https://www.wisaltwise.com/), a coalition of organizations working together to reduce salt pollution in our lakes, streams, and drinking water.
• All MCDOT trucks have preset controls on the salters to prevent overuse of salt.

Other Winter Maintenance Activities

Highway Maintenance crews provide services year-round. 

When snowplow drivers are not involved in snow and ice operations, they work on priority maintenance projects including equipment maintenance, crack sealing and pothole patching, maintaining clear zones, maintaining drainage systems, emergency shoulder repair, sign maintenance and repair, vegetation management, etc.