Many Louisville neighborhood roads remain untreated more than a week after snowstrom

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — More than a week after snowfall blanketed Louisville, many neighborhood roads remain untreated, and city officials say some may stay that way as crews continue prioritizing major routes with more winter weather expected Tuesday.

The city says its focus remains on its 111 designated snow routes, leaving many residential streets across neighborhoods still covered in snow and ice.

In the Belknap neighborhood, resident Elizabeth Holtsclaw spent part of her afternoon helping dig out a driver who became stuck on her street.

“We’d dig him out, he’d go a little bit, then get stuck again,” Holtsclaw said.

Holtsclaw, who is from New York and says she knows how to drive in snow, described her street as dangerous.

“It’s so dangerous, it’s amazing no one has gotten hurt,” she said.

Residents in the area say they have not received mail, visitors are unable to access their streets, and garbage pickup took days to arrive.

The same conditions can be seen in other neighborhoods, including Crescent Hill and Russell, where untreated roads remain snow-covered.

In a social media post, the city acknowledged residents are frustrated, saying only a limited number of streets outside designated snow routes have been addressed. Officials did not say how many. The city added that Louisville handles snow removal the same way other similarly sized cities do.

“We live in Kentucky. We get snow. We should have a better system,” she said.

She said she understands the initial focus on main roads but believes more should be done days after a storm.

“I understand those first few days when you’re working on the main roads, but we should be able to have some sort of system a few days in to deal with roads like ours so people aren’t trapped,” Holtsclaw said.

City officials say residents can submit snow removal requests through Metro 311, though they stress that doing so does not guarantee treatment and is only used to help guide decision-making. The Metro 311 website map shows some complaints have been marked completed.

The city’s website also encourages neighborhoods not on plow routes to work with homeowners associations, community groups or arrange private snow removal.

“We shouldn’t have to ask neighbors to shovel out our roads when I pay taxes,” Holtsclaw said.

On Monday, Holtsclaw and her family took matters into their own hands, digging out their street themselves. With cold temperatures sticking around, it may be what many neighborhoods across the city are forced to do.