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The City of Independence's plan for Winter Storm Blair

January 3, 2025
Map showing streets in the Kentucky Hills area that snow, and salt trucks use during winter weather
Jan. 7, 2025, 6 pm Update:
 
  • With the exception of the Palmer Center, all City offices are operating as normal Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
  • Independence IRIS and RideKC Freedom Paratransit will operate, road conditions permitting.
  • Residential roads should be plowed by the afternoon of Wednesday, January 8, 2025.  The only exceptions will be roads plows cannot access due to vehicles blocking snow plows.  Residents are urged to report snow removal concerns by calling 325-SNOW. 
     
Jan.6, 2025, 7 pm Update:
 
  • City Hall and Independence Utilities Center will be open to the public on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 - with limited staffing.  Much of the non-essential staff will work remotely.
  • Municipal Court is canceled for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
  • The Sermon Center, the Palmer Center, the George Owens Nature Center, National Frontier Trails Museum, and the Truman Memorial Building will be closed.
  • Independence IRIS and RideKC Freedom Paratransit will operate, road conditions permitting.
     
Jan. 5, 2025, 7 pm Update:
 
  • City Hall will be open to the public on Monday, January 6, 2025 - with limited staffing.  Much of the non-essential staff will work remotely.
  • Municipal Court is canceled for Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
  • The Sermon Center, the Palmer Center, the National Frontier Trails Museum, and the Truman Memorial Building will be closed.
  • Independence IRIS and RideKC Freedom Paratransit will resume operations at 10 am Monday morning, road conditions permitting.
  • The City Council meeting will be held virtually Monday night, via Teams.  The public can watch it live on City7 or on the City's YouTube Channel.  If any members of the public wish to speak, they must email the City Clerk (CityClerk@indepmo.org) by 4:45 pm Monday evening to sign up and get a link.
    • In your email, please list:
      • Your name
      • Address
      • Email address
      • Phone number
      • The topic that you wish to speak on
     
Okay, what should I do?
 
First and foremost: stay home if you can.  By staying home, you keep yourself safe and our employees who must be out in the storm - like road crews, police officers, and firefighters - safe.  If possible, keep your vehicle in the driveway, garage, or parking lot; our snow plows can navigate the roads faster and more efficiently. 
 
As temperatures drop, the concern for pipes freezing grows.  Frozen pipes can cause thousands of dollars in damage to a home.  Click here to learn how to keep pipes from freezing in your house. 
 
How can I find out the latest?

The City of Independence has a robust media presence, and lots of information on this website.  Follow these social media channels on Facebook for updated, key winter weather messages:

Independence Fire Department
IPL: Independence Power and Light

What about power outages?
 
Our Independence Power and Light (IPL) crews are ready to be deployed, should an outage occur. Here's a link to the IPL outage map.

To report an outage, call Independence Power & Light at (816) 325-7550.  Our crews work hard to answer every call as it comes in - but sometimes, calls come in all at once.  Leave a message with your name, number, and location of the outage.

Click here to see more in-depth power outage information from IPL.


Will IRIS pick up in this weather?

Paratransit and Independence IRIS services may experience delays or suspensions when road conditions become unsafe. Service adjustments often begin when roads are ice-covered or when snowfall exceeds 3 inches.
 
 
Where are the Warming Centers in Independence?

The City of Independence does not operate a warming center - but people are allowed to go into the Sermon Center during its normal business hours (provided they behave themselves, obey the rules, etc.). Mid-Continent Public Library also has multiple branches in town that act as warming centers.  Check their website for the latest information.

Community Service League's Housing Outreach Coordination Team has the resources to meet people where they are and what they need - whether its a long-term shelter, domestic violence shelter, reconnect with a family member, etc. That number is 816-534-9442.

What's your Snow Removal Plan?

City streets snow removal happens in three stages:

  • Priorities - Roadways that carry the highest volume of traffic.
  • Secondaries - Streets that connect priority roadways to residential streets.
  • Residential - Residential streets that include cul-de-sacs and dead-ends.

When a winter storm is forecast, Municipal Services staff monitors weather conditions throughout the City. Equipment is loaded and crews are placed on standby to respond when called.  Streets will be pre-treated as necessary. Crews are dispatched to priority routes once freezing rain, sleet or snow begins to fall. As long as snow is accumulating crews will remain on priority routes until all driving and turn lanes are plowed and treated.

Municipal Services crews then move to secondary streets. These streets are plowed or treated until passable, which means some snow will remain on the road surface. With a typical winter storm, it generally takes 12 to 24 hours to treat or plow all routes after the snow stops. High winds, extremely cold temperatures and additional rain or snowfall will lengthen this time.

Residential streets will then be plowed or treated with one pass. Residents are asked to not park vehicles on the street when snow is forecast. If parking on the street is unavoidable, vehicles should be parked along the north side of east-west streets and along the west side of north-south streets.

Snow removal shifts are staffed 24 hours a day during winter storm events. Crews work on 12-hour alternating shifts during the week, weekends and holidays to provide continuous operations until roads are treated.

You can now report the snow removal concern via the SNOW Line at 816-325-SNOW

 

NOTE: The Snow Event Tracker will be operational during Winter Weather Event

Snow Event Tracker

 

 

NOTE: The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) maintains some roads in Independence. These include I-70, M-291 Hwy, M-78 Hwy (23rd Street), US 24 Hwy, US 40 Hwy and Truman Road from Spring Street to the west city limits. Use the MoDOT Traveler Information Map to determine which streets are maintained by MoDOT and check current conditions.

Staying Up to Date

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter/X and NextDoor for up-to-date information on winter storm event progress, current projects and street closure information!

 
How to Keep Your Driveway Clear

Plowing Diagram

 

 

MoDOT Tutorial on How-To Shovel Your Driveway

Courtesy of MoDOT

Removing snow from private driveways, entrances and sidewalks is the responsibility of the residential owner, occupant, community association, or business. To reduce the amount of snow being plowed back into driveways, shovel an open area along the shoulder at the drive entrance (see illustration). Plows will then push the snow into the area just before your driveway, leaving a smaller amount in front of your driveway. MoDOT has provided a short video about this.

Continuous freeze-thaw cycles can cause potholes in streets. Residents are encouraged to report potholes in the Action Center or call the Pothole Hotline at 325-7624 so repairs can be scheduled.

Related Links and Additional Information

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