Clearing the roads

Increasingly erratic weather patterns have been snarling transportation operations this past year—for instance, think of the 50-plus feet of snow that fell on California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, breaking a 40-year record.

Now thousands of public works “snowfighters” from across North America are getting specialized training in infrastructure best practices and the latest winter maintenance solutions. More than 2,000 workers gathered this April in Omaha, Nebraska, for the American Public Works Association (APWA)’s annual North American Snow Conference.

This year’s show attracted visitors from locations as disparate as Helsinki, Finland, and Los Angeles County, California, who gathered to share their experiences and techniques used in different geographic locations. Activities included a panel discussion on fleet management, supply chain, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and the future of fleets.

According to the APWA, climate change and the increased need for resiliency in cities throughout the nation have made the annual Snow Conference more important than ever. “Public works snowfighters are the epitome of first responders in the communities where they work,” APWA President Keith Pugh said in a release. “Throughout the winter, snowfighters ensure public safety is paramount and that citizens have the ability to access transportation and public roads—our infrastructure—to travel to school, work, and home.”