As the city Department of Streets and Sanitation started moving snow piles to vacant lots and city property on Wednesday, some Chicago residents were still wondering when they would see the pavement of their streets.
Streets and Sanitation spokeswoman Molly Poppe said more than 650 pieces of equipment were being used on side streets Wednesday — including plows, salt spreaders, dump trucks and Bobcats.
Streets and Sanitation is focusing on clearing neighborhood streets, Poppe said, as well as removing snow piles from certain locations.
“We will remove snow piles in the city around schools and hospitals,” she said. “We’ll keep working all week.”
Plows and salt trucks had to hit the main streets again because of the additional snowfall Tuesday and Wednesday, Poppe said.
Some side streets that were impassable Tuesday were cleared up Wednesday morning, butsome Chicago residents were still getting stuck in the snow.
Todd Shissler said Wednesday his dead-end street had barely been touched. Shissler, who lives in the 3900 block of North Wayne Avenue in Lakeview, said a UPS truck was stuck in the snow for almost four hours Monday.
After his wife, Jane, emailed 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar’s office Wednesday morning, the street was plowed for the first time around 3:30 p.m., Shissler said. But cars were still getting stuck in a thick layer of snow left on the street.
A block over, in the 44th Ward, side streets were clear, he said.
“This has been this way for five years,” Shissler said. “It’s a dead-end street, so it’s always forgotten about. It’s kind of ridiculous.”
More than 19 inches of snow fell in Chicago by Monday morning, andthe city saw another 2inches Tuesday afternoon. By 3 p.m. Wednesday, a little under half an inch had fallen at O’Hare International Airport and almost an inch was measured at Chicago Midway International Airport, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Friedlein.
Friedlein said this week and the weekend look relatively clear of precipitation, except for a small chance of snow and freezing rain Saturday night.
City workers began moving piles of snow to dumping locations, such as ones at 72nd Street and Kostner Avenue in the Ford City neighborhood andSouth Homan and West Ogden Avenues in North Lawndale, Poppe said.
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Shissler said he’s not sure he expects his street to ever be fully plowed.
“It’s typically pathetic,” he said. “I think the next ward over they’re doing a great job.”
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