Why don't they plow the roads in Maine? (Portland, Bangor: appointed, how much)

[El Cam]

Why don't they plow roads in Maine? All the do is throw sand on the road. What's the deal with not taking care of the roads?

[entyss]

Wow, where are you? They plow here in York County constantly...The side roads, Route 1, it's great...

[lrfox]

I'm in Portland... So far, Congress Street and Forest Ave. are the only two I've driven on that are passable (but certainly not good). Any side street (I have to park on a side street) is terrible still. some have about 3+ FRESH inches of snow on top of a layer of solid ice and snow from previous storms. Last night we had a parking ban so they could be cleared. It looks like the street where I park hadn't been touched since about 7pm last night.

Even the "sand" that they put on the roads during the storms seems to be minimal. My girlfriend commented on the lack of sand on Congress Street and Park Ave. today. She said it looks, "Off-White" (as opposed to the usual Brown layer of sand you normally see) and like they haven't done very much at all to take the thin layer of snow and ice off the road. any 2wd vehicle is having trouble on even the slightest semblance of a slope (the Taxis are doing TERRIBLY in their rear-wheel drive monsters).

It's truly sub-par here. I'm gathering thoughts and considering writing a letter. Maybe the sun will help a little today, but I'm not super optimistic. I hate to complain about this type of stuff and I've tried to do my part in shoveling of sidewalks and in front of other people's vehicles, but I'm really disappointed. It seems like much of the city has been almost neglected.

[BacktoNE]

Perhaps the title of the thread should be "Why Aren't the Roads Plowed in Portland?" because anywhere that I've lived in Waterville, Winslow, Bangor & Hampden, the roads have been very well plowed.

Just a thought.

[lrfox]

^I don't know where El Cam (The Original Poster) is from? If it's Portland as well, then that would be an appropriate title.

[7th generation]

Please remember, we are in a recession. I've noticed less plowing in my area and if they have to plow once instead of twice a storm to save taxpayers money, so be it. We can and will survive this downturn in the economy.
In the 60's and early 70's, there were times when the major east/west route through town was shut down for days.

[El Cam]

sorry - i'm in bangor and the roads are horrible (well, early this morning they were)

seems like they are more worried about plowing the sidewalks than the roads.

[RHB]

I haven't been out yet..need to go in a few minutes to go to work in Bangor...I have noticed in recent storms that the plows are coming out later. I think it's like 7th said, it's a money issue. Last year they went over budget, by having the plows out the whole storm, there was over time etc. This year there just isn't the money...

[Maineah]

Perhaps it isn't the road that's bad maybe the car you're driving is not made for snow and ice conditions. Our 4x4 truck handles any type of road condition with ease. We blasted it out through a three foot drift at the end of the driveway yesterday without any problem. Our other car,a Saab, has traction control and a winter mode for the transmission. It does not have the clearance of the truck and rough roads are not much fun but it will perform well on snow and ice covered roads.
As was mentioned above it takes time to clean up after a 16 inch storm. A storm like this one in the 70's would have taken days to clear. I remember back to back storms like this last one where we rode snowmobiles to the store for three days before they cleared the roads. People have no patience these days. They want it done yesterday and don't want it to cost anything. Get used to it...it's only January with at least two more months to go! Remember we tried to warn you new folks about these types of winter conditions in the forum for years!

[mollysmiles]

wow.... give the guys a break!! How much snow did you get yesterday and last night?? YOU may have one driveway to clear!! come on.... I used to live in Bangor, the roads were fine. It's Maine, it's winter, it's snow.