Now that we have had our first snow of the season, you may be wondering in preparation for the next flurry “how do I know if and when my street will be plowed?” as you look out the door into the white abyss. ❄️While some smaller storms call for a major ice salting, others call for the big guns (heavy-duty plow trucks).

Asheville has a total of 564 miles of City and State maintained streets within city limits. These streets are cared for by City crews – consisting of three concrete maintenance crews, one sidewalk crew, one asphalt crew and one preventative maintenance crew – who handle everything from street repair, mowing + snow removal. A.k.a the real heroes of our city. 🚘

To know when your street will be plowed, you need to know if it is a Priority 1, Priority 2, NCDOT, or Private road. A map for road information can be found here. All major arterioles and city bus routes are considered a Priority 1 street (think – Patton Ave., Lexington, Martin Luther King Dr., Riverside, Kenilworth, etc.). Residential and minor arterioles are considered Priority 2 (think – Grove St., Broad St., Cumberland, etc. and your general neighborhood streets). Private roads, like Foundry St. in RAD or University Heights are their own category and not serviced by the city (and many have their own grounds crews who plow – like UNC Asheville). Major highways fall under NCDOT and are serviced by the city.

These streets are plowed in that order – 1, then 2. And, are divided into districts – Central, East, Mountain, North, South 1, South 2, West 1 + West 2. This is how the City organizes snow removal.

You can see any temporary street closures in Asheville here. Note: This list contains only approved permitted street closures by the Transportation and Engineering Department. Any North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) road closures can be found here, and the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County (MSD) closures can be found here.

Pro-tip: During a winter storm or any adverse weather, the City of Asheville will update their Facebook and Twitter pages with information for citizens. And, in the chance of any fallen branches, power outages, etc. know who to call here.

So now that you’re a total pro on snow-covered streets, click the share buttons below to pass this to a friend. 📩

Snow days were awesome as a kid – a.k.a. a time when you knew school was cancelled and getting in a car wasn’t something to consider. But now as an adult, knowing how you’ll get to work and finish errands becomes a priority.

Despite whether you hate or love snow days, keep in mind that safety is crucial so never attempt to drive on an icy or snow covered road.

‘Tis the season, AVL.❄️

–Audra