Officials have activated snow response protocols ahead of potential flurries expected to begin Wednesday evening while preparing for one of the department’s busiest nights of the year cleaning up after Times Square celebrations.
The New York City Department of Sanitation issued a Winter Operations Advisory beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Snow flurries could start around 8 p.m., with some forecasts suggesting precipitation may continue through the night and into Thursday morning and leave up to a half inch of accumulation on roads.
The department has 700 salt spreaders filled and ready to treat every mile of city roadways and bike lanes from Wednesday evening through midday Thursday. Officials will track operations through their GPS room, featuring the new Bladerunner 2.0 tracking system which monitors salt spreader locations in real time.
The timing creates what the department called a “trifecta” of activity over the next 24 hours. More than 340 sanitation workers will clean 100,000 pounds of confetti, paper hats, glasses and other litter at Times Square during the first hours of the new year. Additional workers will clean Broadway in Lower Manhattan following Thursday afternoon’s mayoral inauguration.
There will be no trash, recycling or compost collection on Thursday due to the New Year’s holiday. Residents with Thursday collection should put material out Thursday evening for collection starting Friday. Delays are possible Friday as the same workers handling regular collection also operate salt spreaders and clean after holiday events.
Property owners are reminded they must clear snow and ice from sidewalks, creating a minimum 4-foot clear path where possible. Fines for failure to clear sidewalks are $100 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense and $250 for a third offense. Property owners with Empire Bins must also clear snow and ice from around the bins.
Officials urge drivers to stay off roads during active precipitation or, if driving is necessary, to do so slowly and carefully.
New Yorkers can sign up for NotifyNYC, the city’s free emergency notification system available in 14 languages including ASL, by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/notify. More information about snow operations is available at nyc.gov/snow.