PUBLIC WORKS

Stuffed animal on plow

Garbage will not collected on Monday, February 19, 2024, Presidents' Day.  Garbage normally collected on Mondays will be collected on Tuesday in addition to Tuesday garbage collection.

 

Sidewalk Maintenance

El Niño Winter Weather this year has been full of surprises with warmer temperatures, sporadic snowfalls, but high daily humidity which creates very icy surfaces on everything.  Public Works has gone through a lot of sanding chips this winter so far.  One area that we really need help from our partners; businesses and residents is sidewalk maintenance. Public Works deploys sidewalk plowing equipment as much as possible to help clear the  31 miles of main sidewalks.  Public Works does not have the resources to clear the many more miles of sidewalks in neighborhoods and  sidewalks too narrow for our machines.  This is where and why the Fairbanks Municipal Code Sec. 70-161. - Snow and ice; removal; standing; casting on public property places the responsibility of sidewalk maintenance on homeowners and businesses that have sidewalks bordering their property.

(a) A person having control of any premises bordered by a graded or paved sidewalk must promptly remove any snow which falls on the sidewalk and must remove or sand any ice which forms on the sidewalk, to the extent that the snow or ice is an impediment to pedestrians.

(b) It is unlawful for any person to move snow or ice from private property or to hire, direct, or allow another person to move snow or ice from private property onto any sidewalk, street, avenue, or alley in the city to the extent that the snow or ice is an impediment to use of the sidewalk, street, avenue, or alley. It is not a violation of this subsection to move snow from a sidewalk into the adjacent street.

With nightly glazing of sidewalks and streets with ice, now more than ever we need our partners; you, your neighbors and businesses to clear sidewalks as much as possible, as fast as possible and even putting out sanding material to help reduce falls, injuries and accidents.

Snow removal crews are working hard to remove snow from all the neighborhoods before Christmas or definitely by the end of December. We wish you all a the best for a safe and joyful season.

 

 

WINTER HAS ARRIVED!

Now is the time if you haven't done so already, to move parked vehicles, basketball hoops, trailers, boats and RV's out of the street right of way (ROW) to facilitate snow removal and plowing. Low hanging branches and overgrown shrubs and bushes should be trimmed back for safe walking and driving.  Low hanging branches have caused significant damage to garbage trucks and heavy equipment used in snow operations.

Make sure that you rain gutters are cleared of debris and leaves and ground connections drain far away from foundations and driveways.

 

 

2022-2023 Announcements

“Due to sustained above freezing temperatures, Public Works will need to do snow removal in one residential neighborhood tonight Wednesday March 302023,  starting at 9 pm. Normally, snow removal in neighborhoods occurs during the day shift 7am – 5:30 pm. It is critical that we do snow removal tonight in the area East and West of Cowles Street from 2nd Avenue to 9th Avenue before the snow becomes too wet for our blowers to load dump trucks. We apologize for this great inconvenience, but it is critical that crews pick up and remove large amount of snow still remaining in this neighborhood.  It’s always a race against the arrival of spring break-up, and Public Works has removed tons of snow throughout the city, but this is the last remaining area that we must pick up snow and we need to do it tonight.   

The night crew will end on Thursday and move to the day shift to assist with the boiler trucks thawing frozen storm drains and buried pipes. We anticipate having boiler crews working starting this Thursday and possibly through this weekend to get ahead of pooling water from all the melting snow.

The day shift crew will continue to remove as much snow as possible remaining in some neighborhoods.

Starting April 10th, boiler season will be in full force thawing frozen drains and lines, the jet/vac truck will be out to remove/lower pools of water in street intersections and laborers will be using pumps and hoses to drain away rising water in ditches to prevent or reduce the risk of flooding and property damage.

 

We encourage the driving public to slow down as they drive through puddles on streets being considerate not to splash or drench pedestrians walking on sidewalks or on the roadsides.”

 

Snow Removal Crews are beginning the second round of snow removal in neighborhoods.  Be sure to move vehicles that have not been moved for some time to avoid towing.

 

WINTER HAS ARRIVED!

Now is the time to move parked vehicles, basketball hoops, trailers, boats and RV's out of the street right of way (ROW) to facilitate snow removal and plowing. Low hanging branches and overgrown shrubs and bushes should be trimmed back for safe walking and driving. 

Public Works Department is responsible for:

  • Maintenance of City streets and storm drain system
  • Snow removal operations
  • Residential garbage collection
  • Maintenance of City vehicles
  • Maintenance of City buildings and grounds
  • Clay Street Cemetery and Golden Heart Plaza maintenance and brushing

Street maintenance includes approximately 350 lane miles of road and 30 miles of associated sidewalks, traffic signals, signage, streetlights, and storm drain system.  During the winter months, activities include snow plowing, street sanding, and resolving drainage issues. During the summer months, activities include street sweeping, storm drain cleaning, clearing ditches, patching potholes, brushing, pavement resurfacing, re-striping roads, and miscellaneous repairs to sidewalks, signals, signs, streetlights, and storm drain system components.

The Public Works Department provides weekly garbage collection service to over 6,300 residential customers. The departments other duties include managing the collection and auction of impounded vehicles, abatement of condemned buildings, providing traffic control and street closures for community events, and maintenance of all City-owned buildings, vehicles, and equipment, including those of the City Police and Fire Departments.The Public Works Department is dedicated to working with Fairbanks residents to make the City a great place to live and work.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question, comment, or concern.

Impounds & Auctions

Contact is Tyler Wilbur, (907) 459-6741

Contact us

Need to report a pothole? Damaged sign? Clogged culvert or storm drain inlet? Burned out streetlight? Debris in the roadway?

Contact the Department at (907) 459-6770.

**Please note the City no longer owns and operates the water and sewer utilities. Please contact Utility Services of Alaska, Inc. at (907) 479-3118 or visit www.akwater.com

Please take extra precautions by covering your garbage to prevent animals or birds from displacing the trash on the street.

Please visit the City website at www.fairbanksalaska.us for a full list of holiday department closures, garbage collection schedules, snow removal schedules and other important departmental information.

For domestic water or sewer information, please call Golden Heart Utilities at 479-3118.

All other emergencies, please contact the Fairbanks Police Department at 459-6800.       

Thank you and have a safe day.
 

Annual Christmas Tree Collection

Please call Public Works at 459-6770 to request and schedule curbside collection of Christmas Trees.  Live trees should be free of lights and decorations and will be collected on Thursdays during the month of January.