The Town of Arlington performs three (3) Town-wide street sweeping operations: spring, summer and fall. Town-wide street sweeping is scheduled by plow routes starting with Route 1 and, for the most part, progresses sequentially until completed. We have 35 routes in Town.
You can view your route and street sweeping progress at arlingtonma.gov/streetsweeping.
Additional information about street sweeping operations by season.
Spring Sweeping
The objective of spring sweeping is to remove any left over leaf debris and materials used in treating the roadways during the winter. We usually see an abundance of rain in the spring and sweeping operations assure that the catch basins are free of obstructions at the street level to improve any drainage needed during these rain events.
Under normal circumstances and if the weather permits, spring sweeping should commence sometime between the last week in March and the second week in April. Weather can still play a large part in determining when and where the sweeping will begin. Such factors include, but are not limited to, left over snow, air temperatures, and falling precipitation.
The duration of the spring sweeping operation can vary depending upon the amount of leaf debris we were able to remove during the previous fall sweeping operation. Under favorable conditions are able to sweep one route a day. If favorable conditions continue, we could complete the spring sweeping in 35 to 40 days business days.
Summer Sweeping
The objective for summer sweeping is to maintain street drainage, plus general aesthetics.
Under normal circumstances and if the weather permits, summer sweeping should commence on or around July 1st. There are normally very few weather related reasons why we could not sweep. The occasional very heavy rain event associated with summer thunderstorms would be one of them. As a rule, the amount of debris in the gutter line is lighter and the operation moves along a little more quickly. Keeping this in mind, we can usually complete the summer sweeping in about 35 days or less.
Fall Sweeping
The most important objective is to remove the accumulation of leaves from the catch basins at street level.
Normally, fall sweeping commences on or around Halloween. This may vary year-to-year depending on when the leaves actually start to fall. Generally air temperature and precipitation fluctuate wildly during the fall sweeping operations. It is not uncommon to cease operations due to pavement temperatures falling below the freezing mark. The sweepers spray water on to the street to keep dust levels low and black ice could be formed if the road surface is below the freezing point.
Normally when we start fall sweeping operations, all the leaves are not down through the first 15 routes or so. It is our intention to sweep routes 1 through 35 and then repeat routes 1 through 15 or further until winter weather requires us to cease operations. Some years we can complete the sweeping schedule as planned as was the case in the fall of 2006. However, in 2007, we received two snow storms prior to Christmas and we were forced to stop the fall sweeping.
The fall sweeping process is very cumbersome and minor equipment breakdowns are common. As a rule we have to go over the same street 4 or 5 times before all the leaves are removed from the gutter line. Because of these challenges we can clean about 75% of a route daily depending on the size of the route. Due to these variables, we can’t accurately pin point when we can finish a fall sweep. Past years have put the completion mid-way through January.
Things you can do to speed the process
- You should check any catch basins near your property are made free of heavy leaf accumulation to ensure the proper street drainage around your property.
- The raking of leaves from your property on to the public way is prohibited under Title III, Article I, sec. 33 of the Town Bylaws and is subject to a fine. Please do not move leaves into the roadway.
- Rake the leaves from the sidewalk and gutter line around your property and compost or discard on your yard waste pick up day.
- Do not park your car in the street when sweepers are due in your neighborhood. Motor vehicles are an obstruction to the sweepers and will prevent the roadway from being cleaned for all to enjoy. Please consult the Town Website at arlingtonma.gov/streetsweeping to check when we will be in your area so you and your neighbors can park your car(s) off the roadway. Also tell your neighbors.
- Remove any other obstructions such as basketball hoops from the roadway prior to our arrival.
