First I want to thank the State of Alaska for the job it did clearing snow under almost impossible conditions (equipment and staff and a seriously deep snow) and got the job done. I have always been a critic of the state road clearing, but they did the best job possible I saw around Anchorage. So what if the roads were cobbly in places — they had at least one-and-a-half lanes open on each side on four-lane roads, and many were a full two lanes. I ranged from the east side to South Midtown afterward and I saw no undone sections. I am assuming despite the equipment and personnel issues, they finally got a good area foreman. Hopefully we never again see one guy going over his finished section again and again while another section is untouched.
I had the unfortunate need to be out several times in the worst of it. No, it was not by choice, and yes, I had one of those high-clearance 4x4s. Residential roads were bad; that’s why I keep the 4x4.
I saw good progress by the city sidewalk clearing crews. Sadly, we have a bad snow removal system and the state has no place to put snow but on sidewalks. That impacts the disadvantaged disproportionately and is an embarrassment.
Last were the city residential efforts, and we can chalk another victory up for the soundly proven incompetence of the Bronson administration. As we have come to expect, they did not inform the Assembly of the dire condition of the street department until it was far too late.
What I saw was that the street crews did as much as they possibly could with what they had. Yes, we were three days into the snow clearing, but they hit it and also did it as well as they could with the time constraints and the service issues in neighborhoods.
Our neighborhood snowblowing group also rose to the occasion and got people’s driveways clear and a section of the residential street to provide a passing lane on what had been reduced to a single lane that had even lower 4x4s stuck. As a resident, you can help. If nothing else, stay home unless it’s an emergency or extremely important (both, in my case).
— Gregory Schmitz
Anchorage
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