The Streets Division will begin the annual spring cleanup street sweeping process on the evening of March 11, if the weather allows.

Every year as winter eases into spring, the Streets Division deploys street sweepers to collect sand and other grit that has accumulated on the roads during the winter months.

Starting on the evening of March 11, sweepers will be active on city streets for 16 hours a day in order to sweep as much of the debris from the roads as possible prior to the start of the spring rains. 

During the spring cleanup phase that begins the evening of March 11, one deployment of operators will be sweeping from 10pm to 6am, and a fresh group of operators will continue sweeping operations from 7am to 3pm.  Crews will be working these hours for up to six weeks.

The streets sweepers can only collect what they have access to, so residents are encouraged to park in their driveways and be sure to abide by parking restrictions to help sweeping operations. Also, residents are encouraged not to place their refuse and recycling carts in gutter line if possible.  When sweepers have to maneuver around obstructions, sections of road are left unswept until crews can rotate back the neighborhood again, which can take a few weeks.

Crews will only be working when weather allows.  Street sweepers need water to operate. If the temperatures are too cold, or if another snow event occurs, sweeper operators will rotate to other duties.

As a reminder to those on the roads, street sweepers are slow vehicles. When they are actively collecting material, they move at a top speed of 5MPH. If you encounter a sweeper on your travels through the city, please give them plenty of space to do their work.

For more information on the Streets Division’s street sweeping operations, go to cityofmadison.com/streets.