ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City is taking proactive steps to prepare for an incoming winter storm after facing backlash over its slow response to the January snow event. City officials said they’re making key changes to improve road conditions and public safety.
Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office released a plan detailing the city’s strategy to combat the approaching winter weather. Plows will be deployed earlier, and salt trucks are being pre-positioned throughout the city.
“We’re going to have trucks out. All 50 of our trucks are going to be out on 12-hour shifts on Wednesday, making sure we clear all the snow again,” Conner Kerrigan, a spokesperson for the St. Louis Mayor’s Office, said. “That’s just on our arterials, our secondary, and our hill routes.”
At least 50 drivers will be on call when the main storm hits on Wednesday. While the city is ready for main streets, it’s bad news for residential streets as, yet again, they won’t be plowed due to the difficulty of navigating parked cars.
The good news is that the city is expecting smaller plows in March that could address this issue.
“Residents are responsible for shoveling their own sidewalks. That’s not something that the city handles. We also won’t be plowing residential streets,” Kerrigan said.
During the last major winter storm, many residential streets in St. Louis were impassable. Residents hope that the city’s new plan will prevent the issues experienced during the last storm.
“Hope they do a better job. Take care of the streets. Clean them up. Because right now, it’s not looking too good overall,” Joseph Dykes said.
Officials stated that they will continuously monitor the conditions and adapt their response accordingly. They are urging residents to exercise patience, but they assure them that they won’t be taken by surprise this time.
“I hope everybody’s out doing their best. That’s all we can ask for every day is everybody do their best to keep us safe and keep us getting where we need to go and keep us safe,” Diane Gagan said.