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Winter storms through New York got so bad that on January 19th Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a Disaster in all 62 counties.  Cuomo has been issuing warnings state-wide throughout the winter updating residents on numerous significant snow storms, during which he prohibited tractor-trailers and buses on the New York State Thruway and most other interstate highways.  Here in Lansing snow plowing crews routinely work well into the night to keep local streets plowed.

"We have ten plow runs," said Lansing Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell at a Town Board meeting last week. "Everybody's out at the same time.  It takes about two and a half hours to complete a plow run.  Ideally you'll see a truck go by your house every two hours."

Fielding complaints are part of his job, but they are usually fielded over the phone.  Purcell was challenged by Councilwoman Andra Benson at the February 13th Town Board meeting, when she interrupted his monthly report to say she didn't think her road had been plowed during a snow and freezing rain storm the day before.  Benson said she lives on a county road.  Lansing is contracted by Tompkins County to plow its roads that are within Lansing borders in addition to the more than 90 miles of town roads the Highway Department maintains.

Purcell replied that it may not have appeared to be plowed in two hour intervals because of the freezing rain.

"The challenge with freezing rain is that you try to leave a coating of snow on the road," he said. "When the freezing rain comes it doesn't adhere to the pavement.  You have a lot better chance of surviving it, so to speak."

Lansing crews were on duty from about 7am until after 10pm during the December 12th storm, and started again at 3am Wednesday morning.

NYSDOT recently launched a website to promote safe driving and urges motorists to give snow plows a wide berth because of limited visibility the trucks allow for their drivers.

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