Town of Shrewsbury Snowplow Route Optimization Services

Quetica was awarded a project to work with the Town of Shrewsbury (Shrewsbury) to provide snowplow route optimization services. The primary goal of route optimization and management is to streamline snow and ice program operations across Shrewsbury’s 320+ lane mile street network, 12-15 miles of private streets, 25-30 miles of sidewalks, and all town owned facilities and parking lots. Every street, sidewalk or parking lot within Shrewsbury, under the jurisdiction and responsibility of the Department of Public Works, is treated with deicing materials, thereby reducing costs and maximizing equipment utilization and efficiency. This goal will be accomplished by developing and implementing network planning and optimization strategies that address transportation constraints, improve operational efficiency, and identify cost savings opportunities.

For this project, the objective is to identify the optimal deicing and plow routes and flow through Shrewsbury’s street network that minimize costs with the resource constraints such as truck and driver availability and deicing material depot operation location and hours. Shrewsbury should expect to reduce long-term transportation, material, and operating costs between 5% and 15%, while simultaneously improving service levels and operational agility.