City of Albuquerque Prepares for Winter Storm

ALBUQUERQUE – Winter weather is expected tonight in Albuquerque, and City staff and road crews are preparing for the storm. The City’s Shelter Connect Dashboard shows first responders where shelter beds are available, and the City will provide a warm bed to anyone experiencing homelessness. To help get people inside, Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) offers an after-hours transportation service from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. The public can call (505) 418-6178 to request transportation and ACS will give people a ride to a warm bed and longer-term shelter and services.

The City has 16 plow drivers on standby and has, for the first time this year, started spraying brine (salty water) on roads and bridges to prevent freezing. The salt in the brine helps prevent icy conditions overnight. Weather forecasts predict up to 1 inch of snow, and winds of up to 50 mph. City Supervisors will be patrolling overnight and into the morning, looking for dangerous road conditions.

“We are always ready when the forecast calls for severe weather,” said Jennifer Turner, Director of the City’s Department of Municipal Development. “Tonight, we have several employees on call and ready to spread brine or plow dangerous roads in the City.”

“As temperatures drop, we rise to the occasion—prepared to take action in real time as One Albuquerque,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Our support services are fully activated across the city, From ACS to the Gateway Center and Gateway West, to APD, AFR, and beyond, every team is ready to come together and ensure our community remains safe and warm.”

During last November’s snowstorm, 25 City plow trucks were dispatched as well as 20 maintenance crews and two parking officers. Trucks plowed major roads in the city, while maintenance crews quickly repaired knocked-down road signs and stoplights.

For B-Roll: During the last large storm to hit the City, DMD’s I.T. team reviewed calls to the City’s 311 call center and created an animation (attached) that shows plow trucks on their routes and maintenance crews fixing downed signs and lights. The attached video from Nov. 7, shows 160 calls for service from 311, 200 work orders, 20 signal outages, and 25 snow plow routes.

“The original idea was to show the activity and the work the department performs in a day. November 7 was a busier day with snow plows, for example, and when calls came in we were able to see when they responded,” said James Foty, Systems Analyst II in DMD.

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