With one to three inches of potential snow accumulation forecast for East Central Illinois beginning this evening, Facilities & Services (F&S) staff is prepared and ready to keep the university open and accessible for students, faculty, and staff.

Urbana campus snow removal is a carefully coordinated effort involving more than 125 F&S employees in cooperation with other campus units, plus the cities of Champaign and Urbana. To learn more about F&S' commitment to this priority work, please watch a short video: http://go.illinois.edu/snowiceremoval.   

Additional information regarding priority parking lots and removal procedures are available on the F&S website: http://www.fs.illinois.edu/services/maintenance/snow-removal. If you have questions about snow removal or to report persistent areas of snow and ice, contact the F&S Service Office, 217-333-0340.

Parking:
If assigned parking areas have yet to be plowed, please use designated priority lots (B4, E14, F27) and Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) service. Please do not park in unplowed lots as it further complicates and delays snow removal efforts.

Sidewalks/Pathways:
Typically, an initial clearing pass is made of all 90 miles of campus sidewalk prior to the start of classes. Variable winter weather conditions can significantly impact locations across campus, forming persistent snow/ice in some areas and impeding the ability of the F&S Grounds department to maintain sidewalk and bicycle pathways cleared from edge-to-edge. University Housing and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics perform some snow removal at campus residence halls and athletic facilities.

Pretreatment:
Prior to winter weather events if conditions are favorable, F&S Grounds and Transportation crews will apply brine to streets, parking lots, and sidewalks to assist with melting snow and ice. This de-icing solution is an economical and effective way to pretreat large areas of campus without harming the landscape. Current university road-salt reserves are sufficient for a winter with typical snowfall and will allow for regular application.

Extreme Conditions:
At any time, winter weather conditions may become so unusual or unexpected that F&S staff, in consultation with campus administration, may briefly order a departure from general snow removal procedures.