Each year, the West Goshen Township Newsletter publishes an updated snow removal guide for property owners with important information you should know before, during, and after each snowfall.

Before the Snow Falls…

Make sure the front of your mailbox is at least four to six inches behind the front of the curb and mounted at a height of four feet. Mailboxes closer to the curb and lower to the ground are most likely to be damaged by the weight of snow being pushed from a plow. Take time to make sure your mailbox is sturdy enough to withstand the weight of snow being pushed against it. Clear snow from all walkways, stairs, and paths to mailboxes. For confirmed cases of damaged mailboxes resulting from plowing operations, West Goshen Township will provide a new black or white mailbox and a wooden post. 

Trim tree branches hanging over the road. All tree limbs, shrubs, etc. which are protruding into a roadway must be cleared by the property owners. Trees must not extend more than three feet into the road. If a tree or its branches extend over the road, they must be at least 15 feet above the ground.

Consider installing driveway markers. If your property does not have a curb or other method to delineate the edge of the street, orange driveway markers (available at home repair stores) can help plow drivers identify the edge of the road and avoid damage to your property.

Keep culs-de-sac and roads free of parked cars from the time snow starts until the roads are cleared. In the case of steep driveways, park at the mouth of the drive, but off the road. If a car is parked on a roadside or cul-de-sac, plows may not finish that street but return several hours or even the next day to complete the work.

While Roads are Being Plowed…

Do not place shoveled, blown, or plowed snow from driveways, sidewalks, or parking lots on public streets. This is extremely dangerous and is a violation of Chapter 70 (“Streets and Sidewalks”) of the West Goshen Code, punishable by fines up to $1,000 per day. This can result in slick and snowy spots in what should otherwise be completely cleared streets. This also requires the snowplows to do a second round of plowing. The ordinance also prohibits piling snow into storm gutters.

When shoveling your driveway, leave the last six feet of your drive unshoveled until the plowing has ceased. This unshoveled part will allow snow to remain on the plow instead of dumped into your drive. If you must shovel out your drive, clear a six foot area of the road directly in front of it. Additionally, clear an area ten feet before and after the mouth of your drive, so that when the plow comes through, it will unload snow into the cleared area. Use the illustration to the left as a guide for shoveling before the roadways have been cleared. 

Be patient. Snow removal takes time, especially during heavy snowfall. West Goshen Township will usually plow potentially dangerous and heavily travelled areas first. Plow drivers begin with one pass in each direction on streets and one pass into and out of culs-de-sac. Once an initial clearance is made on each roadway, drivers begin pushing snow back to the road’s edge and cleaning out culs-de-sac. Drivers may not finish plowing a street, but will return several hours or even the next day to complete the work. Any residual snow will be pushed back from the streets when the storm has ended.

Note that West Goshen Township does not clear all streets within the Township.

The following streets are cleared by the developer or property owner: 

PennDOT clears the following streets:

After Roads have been Plowed….

Report any problems to West Goshen Township at 610-696-5266 between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Mondays through Fridays. Please leave a message with your name, address, phone number, and the nature of the problem. Calls received after 3:00 PM may not be acted upon until the next business day. Emergencies may be reported to the Police Department at 610-696-7400.