Snowed in: D.C. residents still await plows days after storm
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Swann Street near Dupont Tuesday evening. Photo: Anna Spiegel/Axios
Roads are still messy, and many Washingtonians still aren't plowed out on their side streets and alleys.
The big picture: The D.C. government is catching flak as crews struggle to clear the city, including major intersections. Yesterday, neighbors helped rescue an 18-wheeler stuck outside Harris Teether at 17th Street and Kalorama Rd NW.
- The snow is solid and sticking around as D.C. goes through one of its longest extreme cold stretches in 150 years, Capital Weather Gang says.
And when a plow has shown up, it's left behind 2-to-3-foot "plowbergs" on many a curb, impeding pedestrians and trapping parked cars:
State of play: The D.C. Department of Public Works says "many main roads are passable, and crews are focused on clearing residential streets and treating trouble areas."
- Parked cars and narrow roads are slowing down the plows.
Flashback: We called out D.C.'s snow plow map four years ago when it was gaslighting people into thinking their street was plowed.
- By some social media accounts, the online map is still misleadingly labeling roads as recently cleared.
- Others fret the dashboard indicates only a fraction of the city's 500 plows are out and about.
Between the lines: D.C. residents and businesses are required to shovel their own steps and sidewalks, or risk fines.
- The city says 600+ residents signed up to be "Snow Team Heroes" and clear snow for the elderly and disabled.
Zoom out: D.C. and many school districts across the DMV are staying closed.
- A private school in Montgomery County told parents this storm recovery is the most difficult it's experienced in 25 years.