The City of Wichita is starting its annual program to remove sand that was put down on major streets during winter storms.
Assistant public works director Ben Nelson said the city used about 16,000 tons of salt and sand mix during the past few months, and half of that is sand that remains on the streets. He said removing the sand will make the streets safer for pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles, and it also keeps sand from getting into the storm drainage system.
Nelson said the city will be running six street sweeper vehicles during the overnight hours, and some crews are being moved from first shift to second and third shifts to get the work done. He said the focus will be on the arterial streets, secondary snow routes and school access snow routes that were treated during winter storms. The goal is to finish the cleanup by June 15th, but the work could be finished in May.
The sand that is collected will be reused as cover material at the Brooks Landfill. Nelson said this has saved the city over three million dollars in costs over the past five years.
