When snow and ice hit campus, Facilities Services Landscape, Residential and Campus Services partner to ensure the well-being of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. As campus workers clear sidewalks, steps and parking lots, cooperation from the University of Chicago community is key in keeping snow removal safe and swift.
Helpful hints for a safe winter at the University of Chicago
In order to minimize the risk of slip and fall injuries due to icy and slippery surfaces, the following measures are in place:
- Landscape Services remove snow and apply ice melt to campus sidewalks, parking lots, and building entrances. Campus and Residential Services clears snow and applies ice melt to entrances and ADA ramps at Residence Halls and Residential properties.
- Landscape Services and the Transportation & Parking Department clear parking lots and apply ice melt.
- Call 773.834.1414 to report an area in need of snow or ice removal on campus.
- Employees are encouraged to use the main entrance of a building during a snow event, which will be the ADA entrance as these are cleared as a priority.
- Safety is our priority during inclement weather. Use caution when navigating campus during a snow event.
Simple ways to help the snow and ice removal process
- If possible, park in the already plowed areas to help snow removal workers quickly clear the unplowed areas without navigating around vehicles.
- Avoid chaining bikes to signs. Not only is doing so illegal on campus. It also creates obstacles for snow removal equipment.
- The ice melt application takes some time to take effect. It is an effective method, but the results are not instantaneous. In times of extreme cold (below -6 degrees Fahrenheit), ice melt’s efficacy may be delayed.
See the Snow Removal FAQ if you have identified an area that needs snow removal attention.