NJDOT Snow Plowing Guide

This is an operational guide issued by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) that establishes standardized snow plowing procedures for winter operations across the state's highway system. The guide provides technical specifications and best practices for contractor and departmental personnel responsible for clearing snow from various road configurations, from simple two-lane highways to complex multi-lane divided highways with different median types.

The guide details specific truck positioning, spacing, and overlap requirements for snow removal operations across six distinct highway configurations: two-lane two-direction highways, three-lane two-direction highways, four-lane undivided highways, multi-lane divided highways with raised medians and no drainage, multi-lane divided highways with depressed medians and drainage, and jughandles. For all configurations, standardized spacing of approximately 100 feet between trucks with 2-foot overlaps of previously plowed areas is mandated to ensure complete snow removal from edge to edge. The guide additionally includes specifications for switch-back curve ramps, recommending the use of power-reversible plows or graders for optimal efficiency. These operational standards are designed to maximize roadway clearance, minimize traffic disruption, and provide consistent service delivery across all NJDOT-maintained routes during winter weather events.