Plowers Persevere to Push Snow

When Jean Drendel glanced up and down the streets of Thursday afternoon, she thought to herself, 'These look pretty good.'

"I think they're wonderful," she said, noting that following a blizzard of epic proportions, she expects that plowers will need a little extra time. "You can get through every place. It's just that some of the lanes are narrower than others."

In the wake of one of the worst blizzards in area history, city of Naperville employees remained hard at work all day Thursday clearing local thoroughfares.

Most lanes of traffic were at least partially snow covered Thursday morning. But by evening time, many—like Ogden and Aurora avenues as well as Washington Street—had been significantly cleared. It was the smaller, minor streets and cul-de-sacs that residents seemed to be complaining most about via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook and through direct comments on Naperville Patch.

“We understand and share your frustration,” said Public Works Director David Van Vooren, in a news release sent by the city on Thursday. “We have been working non-stop, around-the-clock for the last 48 hours and will continue working until all Naperville roadways are clear."

Those roadways encompass a total of more than 1,500 miles, according to city documents. And more than 70 pieces of plowing equipment were exclusively assigned to minor, neighborhood streets, stated the release.

The approximately 20 inches of snowfall and 4-foot drifts required specialized equipment for removal.

Most residents approached Thursday afternoon said that given the nature of the storm, they were pleased with the plowers' work on the roads.

"It used to be a lot worse," said Gar Williams, 75, of Naperville, who spent the day sledding with his grandson. "I was out on the roads … by 8 a.m. and you could tell that even 75th Street had only been plowed once. It was a mess. But look around you! It's only 24 hours later. They are doing a great job."

After a major snowfall, the city uses a priority route strategy, beginning with roads that carry the most traffic—also known as arterial streets—and the main streets running through subdivisions that connect to the arterial streets, according to the news release.

City officials said they hoped to have all side streets cleared by midnight on Friday.

"During an average snowfall, the goal is to have all streets cleared within 15 hours after the (snow) has ceased," Van Vooren said. "Unfortunately, this being the third largest storm in history producing an excessive amount of snow, it is taking our crews and contractors much longer.”

Due to a high volume of phone calls and emails, city officials are asking that residents visit its Website for the most up-to-date information.