LANSING, Mich — Lansing city leaders outlined their snow removal strategy Wednesday as brutal cold weather is expected to grip the area for several days.
- The plan aims to plow and clear the main streets and city bus routes first before moving to residential areas.
- Neighbors are also reminded to shovel their sidewalks and clear them of ice and snow 24 hours after snow stops falling.
- One man said he enjoys the cold weather because it's a sign of the holiday season.
WATCH: LANSING SHARES SNOW REMOVAL STRATEGY AMID BRUTAL COLD SNAP
"It's colder than a mug out here," said lifelong Lansing resident Tyrone Deshawn Jackson. "I kinda love it but not really."
Another blast of winter weather has Lansing crews monitoring more than 400 miles of city streets. Public Works Director Andy Kilpatrick said the extensive road network requires multiple passes to effectively clear lanes.
"Just because we have a couple hundred miles of roads doesn't mean we're driving just a couple hundred miles because it takes multiple passes to clear a lane," Kilpatrick said.
WATCH: SNOW SHOVELING SAFETY— DOCTOR'S WARNING COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
The city can deploy between four and 20 snow plows at a time, depending on the severity of the snow event. This time, crews want to remove slushy snow before temperatures plummet according to Kilpatrick.
"When we have changing conditions like this, this ice is harder to melt because that's much more condensed than just the snow falling, then when we get low temperatures our salt is not working as well," said Kilpatrick.
The city plans to prioritize clearing main roads and CATA bus routes before moving to residential streets. During major snow events, crews can drive 1,000 to 2,000 additional miles to clear all city streets according to Kilpatrick.
WATCH: WINTER SNOW PROMPTS 24-HOUR MDOT OPERATIONS TO KEEP LANSING ROADS SAFE
The city's snow ordinance remains in effect, giving residents 24 hours after snowfall stops to clear sidewalks of snow and ice. Property owners who fail to comply will be billed for city cleanup services.
"We do it primarily based on complaints. So if we have a complaint we'll go out and look at that. We do not look at just that property. We'll look at the whole block because it's not fair to single out that one person. But then you have 24 hours notice and then we'll come back and look at it," said Kilpatrick.
Jackson said he welcomes the typical Michigan winter weather, viewing it as a sign that the holidays have arrived.
WATCH: MICHIGAN SENIORS GET WINTER ENERGY BILL HELP FROM CONSUMERS ENERGY
"I like to walk in this stuff sometimes. But not like that. I like to get on the bus," said Jackson.
Jackson shared his holiday wishes for the community.
"I hope that everybody has a good good good good great great great great Christmas. And a great great great New Years," said Jackson.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want more FOX 47 News? Here's how you download our Roku app
You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.
