BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — A great deal of criticism has been laid on the City of Buffalo for its snow removal plan following the historic Blizzard of 2022.
Some citizens question the reliability of Buffalo's snow fighting fleet complaining it is taking too long for snow removal.
But following two straight days of high-impact winds and snow that pounded the city over the Christmas holiday, the city reopened Thursday, after just a couple of full days of snow removal.
“It wouldn't of matter what kind of piece of equipment you were in — if it was a snowmobile or the largest plow truck — you had zero visibility is the same — if you can not see — you can not drive,” declared Nate Marton, commissioner, City of Buffalo Department of Works.
Buffalo's Commissioner of Public Works Nate Marton tells me this was a historic blizzard and the amount of snow and hurricane-force winds caused incredible snow drifts.
I asked him about some residents who say the city has "abandoned" their street.
“To hear the word abandon — that kind of hit home a little bit — we have not abandoned anybody. Those mounds were created statically. Maybe they're not in a great place, and I heard some are blocking aprons — that is not a directive that we would have given,” Marton replied.
But in the city's 50-plus page snow removal plan you do not see the word blizzard.
“That is not covered in part of the plan. That's a special operation. It can be added as a component, later certainly, if that's something we want to do,” Marton noted.
Among the city's snow fighting equipment, some dates back to 2005. But Marton says seven to eight new plows were added in the last few years.
Thompkins County helping in snow removal on west side off Amherst Street. @WKBW #blizzard pic.twitter.com/7AGJ7m4QVi
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) December 29, 2022
“In your assessment — is it time to get newer, better equipment?” Buckley questioned.
“We're constantly looking at that. It’s something that I'm evaluating as I go through this winter and really these two historic storms, and it's something that we are going to continue to dialogue,” responded Marton.
The city's snow removal plan has pre-signed contracts with private contractors to haul away snow in a snow emergency.
With the blizzard, the New York State DOT also put out a call to other governments to pitch in.
At the Buffalo State campus, the state DOT has set up a staging area for all kinds of help from across the state and out of state in snow removal. DOT crews from New Jersey joined other New York State crews.
The Tompkins County Highway Department in Ithaca sent a team of eight with dump trucks and loaders.
I found them hauling away snow off Amherst street in west Buffalo.
“Everybody's got a grid that they have to work in. We are on the last streets in our grid, so we are almost done and then we will reach out into other grids — if they need it,” Nick Ensign, Tompkins County Highway Department.
Dump trucks from private & government agencies from across NYS & even NJ transporting all the snow to an area along Buffalo’s outer harbor. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/AgzzyWD4Az
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) December 29, 2022
But even these out-of-town crews were struggling around abandoned vehicles and heavy snow.
“The biggest struggle right now is pedestrians because the only thing plowed in the street, so they're walking down it. They've been cooped up for almost a week — we don't blame them, but everybody's on high alert,” remarked Ensign.
All that snow is now being hauled to this location along the outer harbor off Route 5.