Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited a Department of Sanitation (DSNY) snow-melting site yesterday morning to provide an update on the City's response to this weekend's winter storm, which brought as much as 15 inches of snow to some parts of New York City.
"Across all five boroughs, we've melted 23 million pounds of snow using eight snow-melting sites. Every 12-hour shift, 2,500 sanitation workers are out there clearing bus stops, crosswalks, hydrants, and other critical infrastructure," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "These are tough conditions, and these workers are doing essential work to keep this city moving."
Mamdani said the city is expanding its response to meet the ongoing challenges posed by freezing temperatures.
"There is still more work to do," Mamdani said. "That's why we are bringing in hundreds more city workers from outside the Sanitation Department, extending shifts and deploying emergency equipment to get this done faster and safer."
How the City is Keeping Our Streets Clear:
DSNY has deployed approximately 2,500 sanitation workers per shift. To speed recovery, the Departments of Parks and Recreation, Environmental Protection, Transportation and Citywide Administrative Services are assisting sanitation crews. The city has also contracted roughly 500 emergency snow shovelers per day over the past three days. In addition, 100 sanitation workers are operating specialized vehicles, to break up and remove snow ridges that remain frozen due to prolonged cold.
Despite challenging conditions, City workers have cleared more than 13,876 crosswalks, 12,696 bus stops, and 4,486 fire hydrants. Operations continue around the clock. The City has used 116 million pounds of salt to keep roads safe and passable, and, since Tuesday, melted 23 million pounds of snow. Yesterday, eight snow-melting locations - at least one in every borough - were activated to further support snow removal operations.
Thanks to the tireless work of City workers, the City shoveled 100% of bus stops with shelters across the City in the past few days. However, City workers are still out on the streets, working tirelessly to ensure streets remain cleared.
Here's What We Are Asking of New Yorkers:
Keeping streets safe is a shared responsibility. Property owners are required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to their buildings. Snow may be placed at the building line or the curbline but not in the street, where it obstructs snow removal operations.
Violations will continue to be issued for property owners who fail to comply. Snow or ice conditions on sidewalks can be reported by calling 311.
The Mayor urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant as cleanup efforts continue.
