[Happygolucky]

I was in south Omaha today 10th and Pacific area, I cannot believe how most of the streets in that area of town are still 100% snow covered. I am talking about the side streets. It has been 5 days since the last snow fall and the streets look like they never even had a blade run over them.

So then I get to the Downtown area and there are 5 big trucks taking up 3 lanes of traffic while a loader is filling them with snow to remove.what the??

Shame on the Omaha Public Works Department this has got to be the worst I have ever seen it. Why can't they ever get snow removal right, it's not like it does not snow every year.

$40,000.0 to research snow removal, here is a thought take that cash buy a few more trucks and go plow the snow and clear the streets plain and simple.

[mattpoulsen]

Happy,

I'll agree with you on this issue. I commute to Lincoln everyday and get to experience the bad roads in all of their glory! For some reason this latest storm has been very odd in terms of snow removal. I'm not sure if it was because they thought it would melt off quicker than it did or what. But I just now am seeing plows run through for the first time in a lot of areas. Or maybe its the thick layer of ice that's underneath the snow and they can't do much about it during the night.

At any rate, I don't blame the city of Omaha so much. The situation is identical in Lincoln. I seem to think its related to the underlying ice, which cuts the effective work time way down. It warmed up so fast that the roads are blocks of ice once they refreeze at night and then a slushy mess in the day.

The truck filling thing you're talking about is normal though...in tight quartered downtown areas anyway. I've seen this many times in Lincoln and its quite the process. Usually though its happening late at night.

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by Happygolucky

I was in south Omaha today 10th and Pacific area, I cannot believe how most of the streets in that area of town are still 100% snow covered. I am talking about the side streets. It has been 5 days since the last snow fall and the streets look like they never even had a blade run over them.

So then I get to the Downtown area and there are 5 big trucks taking up 3 lanes of traffic while a loader is filling them with snow to remove.what the??

Shame on the Omaha Public Works Department this has got to be the worst I have ever seen it. Why can't they ever get snow removal right, it's not like it does not snow every year.

$40,000.0 to research snow removal, here is a thought take that cash buy a few more trucks and go plow the snow and clear the streets plain and simple.

Happy, I agree with you they can do a better job.

40,000 won't buy a single snow plow though. Probably not even the truck alone.

[Dave1215]

A big reason I love the smaller towns, even if they are connected to the Metro. When I lived in Ralston I always woke up to clean streets (even the hard surface alleys were plowed). Would leave for work not thinking the snow was a big deal, then hit an Omaha street and it was horrible.

Now live in Papillion and I bet within 8 hours of the last storm I saw plows at least 3 times and I don't live on a major street. One of those was the big truck, but then they followed a couple of times in the day with pickups that had plows.

You can't beat the public works of the small towns. A big reason I promote Ralston, LaVista, Papillion, Gretna over Omaha.

[jesse--james]

I've noticed the same problem in my neighborhood. What really irks me about it is that I've seen the city plows come through TWICE!!! The only problem is that they didn't have their snowplow blades down - the were blowing through the neighborhood slopping salt and gravel atop unplowed streets. I called the Mayor's Hotline to complain -- 444-5555.

[Nebrhome]

At the industrial plant I work at we have the same problem right now. The process for us was no difforent than any snowfall, in fact we probably put in more effort. I beleive what comes across as poor removla this time is a result of the rain, sleet, ice conditions that mae it impossable to remove everthing down to the hard surface.

[jesse--james]

When the plows came through my neighborhood with their blades up -- the snow was still soft. -- the first time through it was the night after the snowfall (Saturday night) the next time I saw them the streets were slushy and mucky -- it was ankle deep muck -- a plowing at that time would have done wonders.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by Nebrhome

I beleive what comes across as poor removla this time is a result of the rain, sleet, ice conditions that mae it impossable to remove everthing down to the hard surface.

Not impossible. The smaller towns get it (even the metro ones). In that same storm Papillion was generally clean to the pavement (even on a lot of the smaller residential streets). If not at the pavement, then very close.

I saw an article in this week's paper where the mayor was saying Papillions service level is 8 hours all streets. In this last storm I think he said they did it in 5.

(its probably that level of qualify of life that the Elkhorn folks are complaining about, even though Omaha said they made a pass on their streets).

[ostargazer]

Let's face it... when you have, perhaps, an average property valuation of $200,000... you can better equip your public works department... than with a valuation of, say, $120,000. Elkhorn was probably even more extreme in 'per capita' property tax receipts. So, it stands to reason, a city of Omaha with a broader representation of standard of living/tax collection ranges... is not going to have the same representation of snow plows, police officers, fire fighters, etc, etc... per capita... as a Papillion, Elkhorn, etc. I don't care what the mayor promises... Elkhorn will definitely not see the same level of 'service' that they saw as an independent city. The question is... is that level of service good enough?

Add to that the shear SCALE of a city the size of Omaha (it is one of the 50 largest population cities in the nation you know)... and no doubt, the potential exists for problems to occur.

Given that... I think it makes PERFECT sense to spend $40,000 to research the best way of going about it (and as someone else said... no.... $40,000 won't come even close to buying a new snow plow).

[ben_lit]

I live in the Hillsborough neighborhood btw 132nd & 144th St north of Maple. When our subdivision was an SID Douglas County preformed our snow removal and it was great and still is.

We have had the City of Omaha snow removal for quite a few years now since we were anexed in the city and it is and always has been terrible. We are lucky to see a plow truck in 4 days of a snow, still have not seen one on our street from the Thursday snow.

It would make sence for The City of Omaha to see how Douglas County and the smaller incorporated cities run their operations before they run out and spend 40K on a study. Why not contract out some of the work to Papillion, Douglas County etc. where the Omaha city limits are adjacent to them? It would be more than logical.

I am going to check with our home owners association if we can contract out our own snow removal and bill it back to the city. Four days or more on the average to have your street plowed is just not acceptable. Some accountablility for the poor service is way over due. I don't have to tell any of you that we have some of the highest property tax's in the country, 16th last I checked.

Omaha is a great city, it's just sad our public works department can't get a handle on snow removal.