Dangerous cold hits Louisville as crews race to clear snow-packed streets

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville started digging out from the weekend snow storm on Monday.

Many people were out in the cold shoveling driveways, and snow plows were out in force treating 2,700 miles of roads in Louisville. Many major roads were cleared by afternoon, but some intersections still needed attention.

Traffic was pretty light because most schools were off Monday and many people worked from home, but Mayor Craig Greenberg asked for patience from Louisville residents complaining about neighborhood streets.

"Not every street will be plowed. So there is still going to be areas for people that we know it might be tough to get to a main thoroughfare," Greenberg said. "Right now, there are some intersections and slick spots. We are going to be addressing those throughout the remainder of the day."

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The National Weather Service in Louisville released snow totals Sunday night. it said Louisville had 5.9 inches of snow at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Lexington's official total was 3.7 inches, and in Bowling Green it was 3.5 inches.

Along with city and county officials, the mayor said progress is being made after such a significant snowfall. "This is not going to be perfect when you have this much snow."

Greenberg said all 111 snow routes have been tackled — some of them five times. The road department had 60 crews on the streets and contracted 10 more to help with side streets — in addition to adding $3 million for preparation and treatment.

Metro Public Works Director Bill Bell said crews have been treating area roads, which have improved a lot since the snow stopped Sunday evening. But with the extreme cold, salt and brine aren't as effective.

"The brine, with the cold weather additive we applied ahead of the storm, along with the salt mixed with calcium chloride during the event made a noticeable difference, we believe," Bell explained. "Crews across all districts are reporting that it's breaking up on the ground, which makes it easier to plow off - way better than packed snow."

Greenberg also asked people not to put shoveled snow into the streets, and he reminded homeowners that sidewalks to need to be cleared.

"The sidewalks, in terms of who is responsible, it depends. In many cases it is the private property owner who is responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of their private property," he said.

Bitter cold moves in

A blast of Arctic weather puts the Louisville area in a deep freeze this week. Single digital temperatures are expected at night along with below zero wind chills. The snow will be on the ground for a while, since temperatures aren't expected to be above freezing until the end of January.

The Louisville Water Company said despite the snow and cold temperatures, it has only had 40 water main breaks, which is less than it usually has during weather like this.

With so many people staying home, Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said safety is key.

"When it comes to cooking, maybe you are using a griddle or other appliances, make sure that as soon as you are done with them that you unplug them," O'Neill said.

The fire department is also asking people to clear three feet of snow and ice around your nearest fire hydrant and create a path from the street. That could save time for crews responding to emergencies.

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