Where are the street plows?
Residents ask why neighborhood roads are still covered with ice.
By Bryan Dean
Published: January 19, 2007
If you've looked out your front door and wondered why the city hasn't sent a truck to plow your neighborhood street, you're not alone.
Many metro area residents have the same question.Advertisement
Too many roads
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said people need to be realistic. Oklahoma City, notoriously large in area for its population, includes 14,000 miles of road lanes.
"This city is not designed for an easy cleanup after a storm,” Cornett said.
"If people expect an extremely high level of service when it comes to snow cleanup, they've got to be kidding. That's why we've designated specific snow routes.”
Oklahoma City has 29 salt trucks, with 85 people working around the clock during a winter storm.
Mike Love, emergency management specialist with the city's street maintenance division, said it has taken those crews four days to clear snow routes and a few other arterial streets.
Clearing neighborhoods is out of the question, he said.
"Oklahoma City couldn't afford it,” Love said. "We would need another 360 trucks and the people to drive them, plus the materials to put on the roads. What would we do with those people when it isn't snowing?”
Cornett said it doesn't make sense for the city to budget for the staff and equipment necessary to clear every street in the city when severe winter weather is so rare.
Widespread problem
The issue isn't just a problem in Oklahoma City.
In Edmond, the city began using four contracted motor graders Thursday in addition to seven city trucks that spread ClearLane, a treated salt mixture.
Residents have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the streets' conditions.
Edmond resident Lee Cox said Kelly Avenue, one of the city's primary snow routes, is like an ice rink almost a week after the storm.
"No sand, no nothing,” he said. "I saw one car ahead of me spin out and come close to turning over. Where has the city been?”
Like most cities, Edmond tries to clear only arterial streets and does not attempt to salt or send a snowplow into residential neighborhoods.
‘Be patient'
In Norman, street crews worked around the clock in 12-hour shifts from noon Friday to noon Tuesday, Public Works Director Shawn O'Leary said.
He said while the city doesn't have the resources to go in and clear streets in most residential areas, crews are going back and working on secondary roads on a case-by-case basis.
"Unfortunately, people are just going to have to be patient until it warms up enough to melt,” he said.
Contributing: Greg Elwell and Tami Althoff, Staff Writers
Related Topics:
Weather, Winter Weather
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