Many Towns Struggle To Keep Up With Snow Removal
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Potholes aren't the only problems on the roads across the Tri-State area.
Now, many towns have been struggling to keep up with snow removal, leaving many drivers and residents fed up.
As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported, poorly plowed roads were seen covered in snow and ice all around the area. Walking out the door Friday, Murdock and he crew ran into a mess on the Henry Hudson Parkway, covered with slush.
Most main roads weren't in horrible shape, but many side streets were. One side street in South Orange was almost completely covered, Murdock reported.
Winter-Weary Residents Have Had Enough
"It's really bad," said Bill Maloney of Yonkers. "The worst I've ever seen."
"The side streets are horrible," another driver said. "Plow more, put more salt down."
"You kind of like, slide when you're doing some turns sometimes," said Matthew Skalski of Yonkers, who said the roads typically are not as terrible as they have been this week.
The need for more plows and salt is especially evident in New Rochelle, where many of the side streets are still completely snow-covered and slick, Murdock reported.
Long Islanders Give Snow Removal Crews High Grades
"Very icy and very nasty out," Gavin Spencer of New Rochelle.
It appeared that many roads in New Rochelle were going with the "retro" look – as in, looking exactly the same on dry, sunny Friday as they did when a snowstorm socked the area on Thursday.
Spencer said did not see any plows or salters out on Friday morning.
"I haven't seen anybody yet," he said.
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said a lack of salt is the problem.
"We have plows operating round the clock, but we've been hampered by lack of access to salt," Bramson said.
Bramson said an order placed two weeks ago hasn't been filled.
"Unless you have salt, with temperatures as cold as they are today, it's very difficult to get down to the blacktop," he said.
Bramson's office put out a robocall Friday morning owning up to the fact that many streets are in "bad shape," explaining, "...salt supplies -- not just in New Rochelle, but throughout the region -- are running very low."
The call included that Thursday, crews only salted in a few critical locations.
But Peter Bartucca of New Rochelle was not buying the explanation.
"They claim there's no salt, they got plows and salt all over the place and they don't use it properly," Peter Bartucca of New Rochelle said. "Every time there's always another excuse. They should just do the job the way it's supposed to be done. Get the trucks out earlier and they'll have the job done."
The dwindling salt supply has been a persistent problem this winter, but on Friday, there was some good news in Yonkers, where 800 tons of salt were delivered.
That meant crews were likely finally to be able to get to the bottom of the packed snow.
Meanwhile, it was all a different story on Long Island, where residents gave snow removal crews high grades.
"I would say B+," one man told WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs.
"I'd say about a nine out of 10, they're doing pretty well," Jim Valeras of Syosset said. "I gotta give them a lot of credit, they're out there trying to keep the roads clean. You can't fight Mother Nature."
One man gave crews in Huntington an "A++."
