Three days after a winter storm blanketed Cincinnati, people on the city’s residential streets were still digging out of the snow and awaiting crews to plow the roads.
While many of the main thoroughfares were largely cleared Wednesday morning, side streets in several of the city’s neighborhoods remained covered in layers of snow and ice, with snow piled on top of cars and limited space for two-way traffic.
“It kind of surprised me,” said Mike Schwartz, 63, of CUF. Schwartz was shoveling the snow away from his car parked outside his home on Graham Street.
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Schwartz said he moved to Cincinnati in 1979 and the snow that hit the region Sunday and Monday is the deepest he’s seen in decades.
He said neighborhoods outside Downtown don’t get the same level of care from city services during winter weather events, adding that it didn’t look as though his street had been touched by snow plows.
Mike Schwartz, 63, shovels snow to clear a path for his car on Wednesday at his residence in CUF.
Less than a block away on Parker Street, a thick layer of snow coated the road as a city snow plow drove up the hill spraying salt on the ground. Some residents were still shoveling snow off their driveways on the adjacent Ohio Avenue, where snow narrowed the already tight roadway.
Despite the streets being partially cleared by plows, snow still blanketed Salvador Street and Crestview Place in Mount Washington. In Northside, a layer of slush covered Lingo Street which was bordered by piles of snow on the sidewalks.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Paul Bernard, 55, who just returned Tuesday to his Mount Adams home from a trip to Montreal. Bernard said his Uber driver couldn’t get up the hill leading to his home on Filson Place, where workers used shovels to remove snow.
The city also hadn’t collected garbage from residences on the street and cans stood seeped in snow with trash visibly piling up.
“I get it. It’s not easy,” Bernard said, adding that he’s been disappointed with the city’s snow removal services given the amount of property taxes Mount Adams residents pay. Many roads in the neighborhood were drivable Wednesday morning, however, the lanes were limited by snow piled on the sides of streets.
Tim Shelton, 60, has been out working since Tuesday with family to remove snow from residences. He said by the end of Wednesday, they will have worked on roughly 50 properties, including those in Mount Adams, East Walnut Hills, Evanston and Madisonville.
Tim Shelton, 60, left, shows Kemonta Leathers, 17, right, a technique to shoveling snow off a Mount Adams resident’s driveway on Wednesday.
Over the past two days, Shelton said, he’s been helping dig people’s stuck vehicles out of snow-covered driveways and parking lots in the city.
“It makes no sense,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think the city is prioritizing less busy residential streets. “I think they should pay more attention, especially to side roads.”
Total snow accumulation amounts reached over 10 inches in parts of Hamilton County, including Norwood, Covedale and Northgate.
Cincinnati’s Department of Public Services has been hitting all residential routes and focusing on those since Monday evening, city spokesperson Mollie Lair said in an emailed statement.
“They will continue to treat and plow but the extreme cold makes it difficult to move snow and streets require multiple passes,” Lair said.
According to the city’s website, the department maintains over 3,000 lane miles. During winter weather events, city crews prioritize primary routes, which include hills, bridges, main thoroughfares and the Central Business District.
“Crews are continuing to work tirelessly through difficult conditions in 12-hour shifts and we are grateful for their commitment to keeping our communities safe,” Lair added.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati road conditions: Residents complain of icy, snowy streets