A who's who in snow removal

Q. With all the snow we've had this winter, I was wondering how the jurisdictions work for snow plowing? It seems like the snow removal where I live in the Roselle area has been poor the last couple of winters. Who do I need to call to complain?

--C. G., Roselle

A. There are different entities responsible for different roads: let's go from bigger to smaller.

For interstate highways, U.S. routes and Illinois routes, the Illinois Department of Transportation does the plowing. One caveat: the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority plows Illinois toll roads. IDOT's District One office, which handles DuPage County, can be reached at (847) 705-4000. The tollway authority can be reached at (630) 241-6800.

For DuPage County routes --marked by blue signs identifying the County route number in yellow -- DuPage County does the plowing. A county map can be obtained at www.co.dupage.il.us/dot/ or at the county offices, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. The Division of Transportation at DuPage County can be reached at (630) 407-6900.

If a road is not one of the types detailed above, but lies within the incorporated limits of a municipality, the city or village plows the road.

Lastly, if a road is not one of the types listed above, and is in an unincorporated area, the local township is responsible for plowing.

"Each agency charged with removal of snow on public roadways has a snow removal plan," said David Ziesemer, traffic engineer in the division of transportation with DuPage County.

"Drivers have specific areas or routes to plow."

For DuPage County roads, the most heavily traveled roads are cleared first, and have a higher priority to be kept cleared of snow.

"Plow routes may require up to several hours to clear during an average snowfall," Ziesemer said.

"All routes will be cleared eventually, so we encourage county residents to be patient and limit their phone calls to emergencies or unusual circumstances."