MINNEAPOLIS — The winter weather event coming our way could make a difficult situation even more difficult on Minnesota streets.
Several city streets and sidewalks across the Twin Cities are still partially covered in snow and ice.
But why has it been such a challenge keeping roads and sidewalks clear this year?
“We haven’t seen this much snow in December in many, many years,” Maxim Kushner said.
Kushner owns Maxim’s Snow Removal.
He says this year has been challenging for snow removal companies like his for several reasons.
“We’ve all had to deal with staffing shortages," Kushner explained. "There aren’t a lot of people who are willing to wake up at two or three in the morning and go to work."
Mother Nature is also creating some additional challenges this year.
“The beginning of December was really busy. It started snowing and it never really let up for us,” Kushner said.
"That snow can be pushed out of the middle of the street, but eventually it creates piles on the sides that make the street more narrow and icy."
The changing temperature has also caused some problems.
Kushner says there has been a lot of freezing and thawing this winter, and that back and forth can create ice and densely packed snow.
“Unfortunately, when you see that type of hard packed snow and ice, there's absolutely nothing you can do," Kushner said. "You can get out there with the old-fashioned ice chipper and go to town, and I tried doing that myself on my own driveway and I lasted about 15 minutes and my arms were done."
Another option is to lay down a bunch of salt and hope the ice melts, but Kushner says the salt doesn’t work well in cold temperatures.
“Often times you just have to wait for warmer temps to melt everything out,” Kushner said.
City public works departments are also at the mercy of residents who can make their jobs easier — or more difficult — depending on how they respond to the snow.
“We do rely on our residents to clear the sidewalks, and when they do, that really helps us out,” Minneapolis Director of Transportation Maintenance and Repair Joe Paumen says.
The City of Minneapolis also utilizes snow emergencies to help them clear the streets. Paumen says Minneapolis has had three snow emergencies so far this winter, with a fourth snow emergency possibly coming later this week.
“We normally see four or five snow emergencies over the course of an entire winter. So, four already is a lot more than usual, I’d say,” Paumen explained.
Even with those snow emergencies in place, city plows haven’t been able to clear away all the snow and ice from the edges of the street.
The middle of the street is cleared down to the pavement, but Paumen says this winter it has been especially difficult for drivers to clear the entire width of the street.
“That’s what the biggest challenge is, getting that street cleared to its full width,” Paumen said.
So, if your streets and sidewalks are still a little icy right now, you’re not alone.
It’s an ongoing problem this winter that many cities and snow removal companies are dealing with right now.
The situation probably isn’t going to improve anytime soon with more snow and ice coming our way, and a lot of winter still left to go.
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