Clearing The Side Streets Begins [UPDATE]
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 2, 2015 6:30PM
Update 3:45 p.m.: A Streets and San spokesperson reminded Chicagoist that the department doesn't normally plow alleys. They do monitor alleys to see if they're passable and will clear them on a case-by-case basis.
With 19.3 inches of snow on the streets, city crews have their hands full keeping roadways clean. As we mentioned earlier, it was a near-Sisyphean effort for Streets and San plows to clear arterial streets Sunday. After 36 hours, the plows and salt trucks are now working their way through the side streets. Currently, the city has 350 snowplows and another 150 pieces of heavy equipment on the streets to "ensure safe and efficient traffic flow throughout Chicago." A Streets and San spokesperson told DNAInfo Chicago it would take at least eight hours to clear the side streets. Well that's optimistic. Either the Emanuel administration is going to fork out serious overtime pay for plow drivers or the mayor is flirting with being Bilandic'ed weeks before the Feb. 24 election.
We know many of you will be impatient and wonder why your street wasn't plowed first. The city's Plow Tracker is a good resource for checking for updates on which side streets in your area are being cleared. In addition to side streets, there's concern about when alleys will be cleared. (The scene in my neighborhood this morning was dotted with giant trucks getting stuck in alley snowdrifts.) As the temps now take a nosedive, the garbage will pile up and will the garbage trucks be able to negotiate the alleys when it's your turn for trash collection?
We have a request for comment from Streets and San on if or when alleys will be plowed and will update this post when we receive an answer.