Snow is nothing new to seasoned Badgers, but each year it can make getting around campus more difficult. With nearly a foot of snow falling in Madison in the early hours Wednesday, UW-Madison had to implement the snow removal and transportation resources available in order to make campus accessible to all students.
Students woke up to find classes had not been cancelled despite the five to 10 inches of snow that accumulated around campus. Looking to combat hazardous travel, UW-Madison Facilities, Planning and Management started clearing university roads and sidewalks.
According to a tweet released by the university, there are 13 miles of road, 50 miles of sidewalk, over 100 parking spots and 90 bus stops that must be cleared of snow. This snow is cleared by grounds department employees who usually start as early as 1 a.m., when campus roads are empty.
Buildings & Grounds Superintendent Ellen Agnew said roughly 40 grounds employees worked to remove the snow from campus Wednesday. However, snow removal is also conducted by employees of UW-Madison custodial, campus services and housing.
The grounds department is also on-call during days with heavy snowfall. This allows UW-Madison community members with mobility impairments to request specific pedestrian pathways to be cleared.
For those with a mobility impairment, the university also offers an accessible circulator shuttle that continues to run during periods of heavy snowfall.
