Why do some streets get plowed first?

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - As hard as the plow drivers work to clear the streets, many people are frustrated by how long it takes to get to "THEIR" street.

If your street isn't plowed quickly after a storm, you might get angry seeing other places plowed first.

After a big snow storm you may have noticed that public parks like Forest Park have their sidewalks and roads cleaned off fairly quickly. That's because they have their own set of plows so that the DPW can focus on the city.

Once completed, those parks department employees clean almost 30 miles of city walkways.

In terms of street cleaning, that's the DPW's responsibility.

Springfield is separated into 20 snow removal sections which each have a snow removal team. Each street within a section is plowed usually from north to south.

Springfield DPW deputy director John Rooney told 22News the main streets take priority because that's where the majority of your drive takes place.

When they *DO* get to you, don't expect your road as clean as an interstate.

“The policy is bare pavement on the main roads. That's why you see the black pavement out there we use salt and chemicals to get to that point. We don’t' use that on the residential streets and part of the problem is the general public expects that same level of service,” said Rooney.

Mapping technology helps to track which streets have been plowed and where issues are.

"We're able to plot issues so when we know there's an issue there will be a flag that comes up on the map. We know that before the end of the storm we have to go back to that spot. Sometimes there are places we have to skip because there's parked cars they can't get a car down the road," said Bob Houldson, in the DPW’s Department of Information Technology.

Within two years, you'll likely be able to track the progress of plowing in your section.

Rooney told 22News the toughest part of keeping streets clean are people who plow or snow blow into the street