Street maintenance, situation on 28 February 2024
The temperature will remain above zero for the rest of the week. Snow banks are melting and packed snow is softening everywhere in Espoo. In some places, we are removing snow from roadsides or pushing it further away from the edge of the streets to reduce morning slipperiness caused by meltwater. As snowbanks melt, street areas as well as pedestrian and cycling paths become wider.
We use various types of equipment to remove softening packed snow. There is a lot of work to do as the ice is still very hard and thick in places.
Temporary snow piles along streets
We move snow from snowbanks to temporary storage locations, for example on lawns next to traffic areas and on vacant city-owned plots. Our winter maintenance team has also had to deal with snow moved from private properties to public street areas. This winter, more snow than usual has been brought to temporary snow storage locations. Snow should not be moved from private properties to city-owned areas.
The piles of snow removed from street areas do not always look very nice, but fortunately this is a temporary problem. By moving snow to these temporary piles, we are able to make street areas wider and reduce the number of areas where meltwater flows from snowbanks to streets and then freezes there.
Water-related problems
Melting snow and recent rainfalls have created problems in some areas where water has not been able to flow into ditches or drains. We usually deal with normal water-related issues in the wintertime by defrosting drains or removing snowbanks that prevent the flow of water.
In case of more severe situations, we try to do what we can with our staff and equipment, but bigger problem areas often require extensive changes and planning. Our planning unit is informed of these areas, and they will try to find more far-reaching solutions to water-related issues. The city implements such plans in the form of separate construction projects.
Potholes and road surface damage
Temperature fluctuations and rainy weather are now also causing degradation of road surfaces. Cracks may form on the asphalt, especially on busy routes. Alongside other work, we will patch the cracks we detect with a temporary patching material until the actual repair work can be carried out in the summer. Some of our contractors will also repair these cracks, but their operations are limited this time of year.
Feedback on maintenance
Our customer service works closely with maintenance staff and informs them about the feedback received. Please note that sending us feedback will not speed up the ploughing of your street. All streets in Espoo are cleared in order, one area at a time, based on their pre-determined maintenance category.
We ask you to send your feedback directly through the city’s online feedback system(external link, opens in a new window). Both our feedback and telephone services are quite busy from time to time, and waiting times may be long.
If you can, also send us a photo of the site in question. Based on the photo, we will be able to assess the urgency of the situation, which will accelerate the processing of your feedback.
Trimble Feedback mobile app
You can also give location-based feedback through the Trimble Feedback mobile application(external link, opens in a new window). It is a quick way to send a message to customer service, for example concerning a need for maintenance. We go through all mobile feedback and forward it to experts who will take the necessary measures.