Niles Public Services Department is out in full force this morning. Crews have been incredible in their production and their dedication to the Village of Niles. Reports confirm that this was a record setting snowfall in that we have never received this amount of snow in that short of a time frame. It was also the fifth highest total ever. There was no advance warning of the snow accumulating to almost twenty inches. When Public Services started their snow operation the forecast was for 8-10 inches. Here is today’s (2/3) plan:
There is a water main break on the 7600 block of Milwaukee Avenue. There is a four man crew working on this currently. Traffic is down to one lane on Northbound Milwaukee from Howard Street to Jonquil.
There are two crews out removing snow from various sidewalks along major highways. This still may take multiple days to complete due to the large volume of snow.
There is a four man crew heading to the Root, Grand, Elizabeth and Prospect area with a backhoe, two skid steers and a large plow truck to try to open up those areas around the cars stuck in snow banks and drifts.
A front end loader will be in Chesterfield and one on Nordica clearing parking areas.
A front end loader will be clearing large snow piles at main intersections on Oakton Street to provide safety for crossing guards and school children. They will move to other highways when available, but the Police Department found these the most critical.
There are three large salt trucks going through the subdivisions to plow any remaining snow from the street and to salt them as needed.
A pickup truck is out cleaning up a few cul-de-sacs that need touch-up work. The rest of the cul-de-sacs were completed last night.
We are checking any remaining calls about alleys, but the majority of alleys were completed last night.
As the above tasks are completed, Public Services will redirect crews to additional areas, including Oak, Grace, Clifton, and if a truck can’t clear the snow, Courtland, Woodland, Churchill, Lake and other areas with heavy on-street parking. There is snow in the forecast again for tonight and tomorrow, which would pull crews back to main roads for plowing and salting tonight and tomorrow.
Please continue to check the website for updates.