If there is one common theme stewing among residents after the historic snowfall of Jan. 25—the largest snowstorm in more than a decade, according to the National Weather Service—it’s that residents are frustrated over their residential roads not getting plowed in the first few days after the snowfall landed.
Stuck in their homes with their cars, bikes and scooters trapped in more than a half foot of snow and seemingly impenetrable ice, Montgomery County residents took to their neighborhood chat groups and Reddit to air their grievances.
MCM News reached out to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, shared residents’ concerned in the chats and asked when these frustrated residents’ roads would be plowed. Below’s what they said:
A resident compares MoCo to DC and Fairfax on snow removal
A resident rants about snow removal in neighborhood chat group
MoCo snow removal a slow process, compared to Upstate NY, says one resident.
“We anticipate that we will reach each neighborhood street, with at least a first pass through, by this evening around 5 p.m.,” said Emily DeTitta, strategic communications manager for MCDOT.
She said snow removal is slower than usual because of the extreme cold, which quickly turned Sunday’s snow to sleet and ice.
“Our crews began plowing at 4 a.m. early Sunday and will continue throughout the night tonight and tomorrow at least,” said DeTitta. “We have about 550 pieces of equipment deployed.”
The MCDOT manager advises residents to check the county’s snow portal for the latest plowing updates at: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/snow for plowing updates.
In addition, she asked for a bit of grace.
“Please be patient, we are working around the clock to ensure that all of the County’s 5,500 lane miles are plowed,” explained DeTitta.
Snowed in with no space for grace? DeTitta also said residents can report missed streets by calling MC 311 or (240)777-0311.
An MCDOT snowplow at work.
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