GREAT FALLS — Street sweeping has begun in Great Falls, and it’s important to be mindful to keep your street clear of vehicles on the days they’re sweeping. Although the city will sweep throughout the winter when weather permits, April is considered street sweeping season.
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Dan Palagi, Street Superintendent for Great Falls, said, “After winter, with all the sand getting thrown down on the streets, it's the soonest we can get back and efficiently get back and get the routes done.”
Palagi explains that the city designs the routes in a way that impacts traffic the least.
He said, “We try to make the most efficient route, as we possibly can, to get the most done in the one day.”
However, street sweeping is a multiday process. The day before a road is swept, the city puts up signs warning people to move their vehicles off the road.
Palagi said, “If you look down the block further, you can see there's still people that…just don't move. They might be gone, they don't know…So we're just asking people when April comes around. Be aware that it's sweeping season.”
Sweeping does more than just make the city look good.
Palagi said, “We usually pick up anywhere from 4 to 5 tandem loads of material every day,” which is four to five truckloads of debris. “It also helps with… pollutants. It helps with the storm drain system. If what's not going down the storm drain, if sands not going down there that aren't backing up they’re not getting, they need to be cleaned as much, it’s environmentally friendly.”
According to the city, over 5.5 million square yards of asphalt roads are swept in the spring, with a combined equipment time of 3,338 hours. But, in order to sweep, the city needs workers.
Meredith Dawson, City communications manager said, “Public Works has 13 total openings right now. Seven of those are in the Streets Division.”
Dawson explains how working for the city directly reflects back to the city itself.
Dawson said, “We exist to serve the people of Great Falls. So if we don't have our jobs filled then it makes other people's jobs that much harder. We want to make sure everyone's getting the best service possible.”
The city said that not only does street sweeping beautify the city, but it also protects motorcyclists and cyclists from potentially sliding and getting hurt on loose materials on the road.
The schedule for street sweeping can be found here.
