Storm leaves long cleanup process

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Many residents had to wait until Sunday - almost 24 hours after the nor'easter - for their streets to be plowed. And as of Sunday night, some streets are still not plowed.

So 22News is working for you and found out why it is taking the Springfield Department of Public Works a long time to get to small, residential streets like Appleton St., Lafayette St., Fairmount St., Mohack St., Willowbrook Dr., Hiawatha St., and Mary Coburn Rd.

After a 24-hour storm is an even longer clean up process. Sunday morning, for the second day in a row, many Springfield residents woke up to several feet of snow covering their streets, driveways and cars.

Springfield Department of Public Works cleaned up main roads like Sumner Avenue and Dickinson Street quickly. But getting to all the smaller streets is still a challenge.

DPW Director Allan Chwalek told 22News “We've been cut five straight years in a row. No excuses but we just don't have the big heavy pieces of equipment that we need to push snow. Let alone snow drifts are 6 feet high in some streets.”

But for people who have been snowed in since Friday, frustrations are only growing higher as the night rolls on.

Ralph Brackley of Springfield said “It's nonsense. Look at the road. There's 20 feet here of just snow. Nobody can get out. I've got 3 people who have to work who couldn't go to work.”

Even if the street itself had been plowed, in many places there were giant snow banks at the end of the street, and many people said they are worried about how they are going to get to work or school on Monday.

Gabriel Felix of Springfield told 22News “Hopefully they'll come back through and clean it up just for tomorrow, getting out tomorrow. Hopefully. We'll be able to get out.”

Sharon Mangieri of Springfield said “I'm going to have to call somebody and see if they can plow out the driveway and make a little path for me out there.”

In fact some people tried taking matters into their own hands. But in some spots, the heavy snow was simply too much for a snow blower or a shovel.

22News continued to get numerous calls and emails concerning unplowed streets Sunday night.

We'll keep asking questions and follow up on this matter starting on 22News Monday morning.