Snow on residential streets can remain unplowed for days at a time. Columbus city officials and Ohio State have procedures for clearing snow and ice, which prioritizes certain areas over others. Credit: Caroline Fowles | Lantern Reporter
When it snows, Columbus streets and sidewalks — especially in off-campus residential areas — remain covered in snow and slush for multiple days, presenting a challenge for traveling.
Columbus city officials and Ohio State have procedures for clearing snow and ice, prioritizing certain areas over others. But Kayden Gill, president of Buckeyes for Accessibility, said the unpredictable nature of Ohio winters can be particularly difficult for students who use wheelchairs or those with physical disabilities.
“Wheelchairs are great, but a little bit of snow makes getting around campus very difficult when streets and sidewalks aren’t plowed or salted appropriately,” Gill, a fourth-year in health sciences, said. “A lot of my friends and people I know that have physical disabilities have a really hard time in the winter on OSU campus.”
All streets and sidewalks on campus are within the jurisdiction of the university’s Landscaping Services, and all Columbus and off-campus streets are under the authority of Columbus’ Division of Infrastructure Management, university spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email. The clearing of off-campus sidewalks is the responsibility of property owners.
Hedman said Ohio State has set protocols for clearing snow and ice. He said landscaping services normally operates as far north as Lane Avenue, south to 9th Avenue or King Avenue, east to High Street and west to Kenny Road.
“Typically, it takes between six to eight hours to clear the campus one time during a snow event,” Hedman said.
Charles Newman, public relations specialist for the city of Columbus, said in an email the city prioritizes snow plowing based on roadway type and function.
Newman said freeways and busy roads are cleared first, followed by less busy roads. Local roadways, such as residential streets, are the lowest priority.
Buckeyes for Accessibility posted a photo on Instagram Jan. 24 of a student’s wheelchair seat covered in snow and slush after traveling across campus.
According to the post’s caption, poor plowing and salting of sidewalks caused the student to have to “push through sludge,” and the student sat through a three-hour class with a wet seat cushion. The post garnered 1,400 likes as of Thursday.
“We wanted to gain attention to the idea that accessibility is year round; it’s not something that just stops during the winter that you only have to do when the weather is nice,” Gill said. “It’s the university’s responsibility to keep that up.”
Hedman said a brining solution, comprised of salt mixed with water, is laid before storms to pre-treat roads and reduce the impact of icing. After roadways and sidewalks are cleared of snow, salt is used to treat slippery spots.
Hedman said the Ohio State Facilities Operations and Development Landscape Services management team communicates regularly regarding snow removal, snow or ice storms and any inclement weather that would have an impact on campus operations.
On campus, Hedman said FOD Landscaping Services works to clear approximately 130 miles of sidewalks and 40 miles of campus roadways.
Newman said the city of Columbus oversees over 5,600 miles of roadways, which include the freeway system, principal arterials, major and minor collectors and local residential areas.
Hedman said FOD Landscape Services clears campus roadways, sidewalks, plaza areas, steps, curb cuts and loading docks to maintain safe paths for pedestrians, vehicles, students, faculty and visitors. He said custodians assist with shoveling steps and building entryways, and CampusParc is responsible for plowing parking lots and garage rooftops.
Unsafe conditions due to ice or snow on campus should be reported to Service2Facilities at 614-292-4357 and unsafe ice or snow conditions to the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State at 614-293-8645, according to FOD.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly states off-campus sidewalks are the responsibility of the city. These are the responsibility of property owners. The story has been updated to reflect this.
