By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News
Lansing, MI – Weather conditions are improving across mid-Michigan after a powerful winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow on the area.
In Lansing, snow plows began clearing roads around 11 p.m. Tuesday. All major streets have been plowed at least twice. The city is now plowing residential streets. That work is expected to be complete by noon on Friday.
City emergency operations chief Trent Atkins says for the size of the storm, planners and work crews handled the event extremely well. "You know, we spent a lot of time making sure that our equipment and our personnel that are planning our strategies were in place," says Atkins. "We made sure we had great communications, that everyone was coordinating well. And I think that's really been the key. So when we look at the city of Lansing, I think that it was a huge success."
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero says while the city is making good progress on the roads, people still need to be cautious. "And I'm very proud of the way our team performed, I'm proud of the way our residents performed," Bernero says. "When I say the roads look beautiful, I mean that as mayor. They're still treacherous. The fact is, you've got snow, you've got ice...there's no substitute for good judgment." Parking on residential streets is prohibited until Friday afternoon. Lansing residents and businesses are required to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of the storm.
The city has implemented a new website for people to track the progress of the snow plows. That can be found at www.lansingmi.gov\\emergency
Officials say the site will be updated every three to four hours.