LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the snow cleanup from last week's storms continues, a lot of people have been wondering why their streets are still snowy. Rob Allen, the director of Lexington's Streets and Roads Department, explained how they prioritize snow plow routes.
Last week's storms posed a challenge, Allen said, because the snow came in waves, so they had to spend a lot of time clearing and then re-clearing the first-priority streets.
"For example, Nicholasville Road is a rank 1 because you have two hospitals and such a tremendous amount of traffic," he said.
Allen said a single plow can clear 30 miles of road in a 12-hour shift. They've got 40 plows, which means they can only work on about 1,200 of Lexington's roughly 1,400 miles of road in a shift.
"You can see they're color-coded," Allen said, pointing out different routes on the city's color-coded snow plan map. "Not every road is color-coded because we don't treat every road. It kind of gives you a good understanding of how we prioritize and how roads are ranked."
Lots of side streets in Lexington's neighborhoods aren't included in the snow plan. Allen said it's all a matter of logistics.
"People are kind of surprised, they say, 'We pay taxes the same as over here. We feel like we need to be treated,' Sometimes we can't treat them, but then there's also a finite amount of resources and vehicles, and a lot of times, it really isn't practical. If you live on a flat road within half a block of a treated road, it's usually not that difficult," he said.
He also said there are sometimes more challenges for plows in those neighborhoods.
"How do you make that turn in a cul-de-sac or court? If there are cars parked there, that reduces that radius even more," Allen said.
Fayette County Schools called their fifth-straight NTI day Monday, saying 20% of the city's school bus routes are still unsafe.
"Right now, there are some high-level talks with Fayette County Schools. We're asking them to let us know, hey, are we missing some areas that have been added to your bus routes or what can we do to improve?" Allen said.
If anyone has any particularly troublesome spots that haven't been touched, Allen said, they can always reach out to LexCall 311.
"You can call them or email for service. We address all calls for service. We'll at least check it, even if it's not a ranked road. If it's a hill or an intersection, we will treat it, whether it's plowing, whether it's salting," he said.
