People used social media while east Texas was snowed in to complain about Longview’s approach to roads during the storm, but the city – and the Texas Department of Transportation – say it’s a resource issue.

A photo shared on Facebook showed a front loader clearing snow and ice in the Longview Public Library. People wondered why it could be used there.

“The city has used so-called front loaders to scrape and scoop the snow off the parking lot so people can walk to the thermal barrier,” said Rolin McPhee, public works director. “A front loader is a heavy machine tool that is used in construction to move or load materials such as earth, rock, sand, demolition waste, etc. into or onto another type of machine. It is not intended for snow removal as the snow fills the bucket, which then has to be dumped somewhere. The use of this equipment is not possible for roads. “

The city doesn’t have snowblades or graders, he said, which differ from a front loader in that they “tilt 30 degrees on either side to move the snow where you want it”.

“The blade angle is adjusted from the cab, so the operator can adjust the blade to avoid having to make multiple passes to clear the snow. Because of this, piles of snow appear to have “stepped onto the curb” on the freeways, “said McPhee.

He added that the city’s arterial and collecting roads – collecting roads that generally merge into arterial roads that merge into freeways – have been monitored for slippery conditions and sanded around the clock until the problem subsided.

“We also salted areas ahead of the event,” he said.

The city used a front loader to target a street, a particularly hilly area on HG Mosley Parkway between Bill Owens Parkway and McCann Road, where conditions were “treacherous”.

“On February 20, Public Safety Communications contacted us about a police report of freezing conditions along HG Mosley near Grace Creek,” said McPhee. “Cars trying to climb the hills slipped and created a hazard. Road crews were dispatched to grind the icy areas east of Grace Creek up the hill and west of Grace Creek up the hill. Unfortunately, the snow on the ice did not allow the sand to provide traction to vehicles moving on the road.

“Since the conditions were still tricky, we decided to remove the snow on the ice so that the ice on the road could be better treated. The front loader did its best to remove the snow lying on the slopes and the roads were sanded, which provided enough traction for the traveling public. “

Another picture on social media showed a shared US 271 in Gilmer, with some comparing what they thought Gilmer City or Upshur County was doing to clear the highway compared to what Longview was doing.

The Texas Department of Transportation reported that its county office was doing the job in this area. TxDOT is generally responsible for the maintenance of the state roads. Local TxDOT spokeswoman Kathi White said comparing TxDOT’s work in a small town with a big city compares apples to oranges. Longview and Gilmer are located in different TxDOT districts.

“I-20 is the main corridor through Counties Van Zandt, Smith and Gregg. Much of our resources were focused on solving the problems we had during most of this event along I-20, “White said in an email. “In addition, accidents along I-20 in Louisiana affected the trip to Texas. Due to a lack of fuel, many large trucks were secured on the ramps, creating additional delays and safety concerns.

“Our main focus was on repairing roads with higher volumes, elevated structures, accident sites and other trouble spots. The persistent sleet, freezing rain, snow and ice during the week required that we had to drive many roads several times. We then moved to other streets and continued to work around the clock until temperatures got above freezing and began to melt. Even with the added support from the cities, the county and the contracting authority, there simply weren’t enough resources to address every street. “