Minneapolis, St. Paul still digging out from biggest snowfall of the year
MINNEAPOLIS — The cleanup continues after the first big snowfall of the year.
Minneapolis and St. Paul decided to tackle clearing it without declaring snow emergencies.
St. Paul dealt with major plowing problems last winter due to how much snow we got and low staffing.
"We are reevaluating how we do snow operations," said Sean Kershaw, Director of Saint Paul Public Works.
After a tough season, St. Paul crew are responding differently after hearing from residents.
"It was clear last year that we were hearing from residents that they wanted to be on residential streets sooner," Kershaw said.
By St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carte not declaring a snow emergency, it allowed crews to step away from usual snow operations and listen to residents.
"What we did today was faster and allowed us to get into residential streets more quickly," Kershaw said.
Starting Thursday morning, additional staff began salting residential streets and clearing them faster using a snow plowing technique called "center cuts".
St. Paul Resident Brittan Humes says she sees a major difference because of the technique.
"The center cuts, I think that's going to be a beneficial thing it'll be good," Humes said.
The technique allows crews to clear the center drive lanes between cars allowing for a smoother drive in residential streets.