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City of Detroit says crews will not plow neighborhood roads unless 6 inches of snow falls

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DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) — According to Detroit's Director of Public Works, residential neighborhoods will only be plowed if the city receives six or more inches of snow. With anything less, plows will only focus on clearing major roads.

Detroit residents say this is a concern because as the snow hit roads, things become messy, especially on the side streets.

"I have a lot of concerns. I use the busses and travel the streets every day," Detroiter Zakiyyah Leary said.

Leary knows how hard it can be to navigate the snow-covered roads and when she was told the city will only be plowing side streets if six or more inches of snow falls, she was in disbelief.

"[I] think that's horrible. If there's snow, plow everywhere," she said.

The city will have 50 plow trucks and crews rotating on 12-hour shifts. They'll be following the forecast closely and will change plans if necessary.

As of now, the plan according to DPW Director Ron Brundige is to begin salting the roads if the snowfall is between zero and 3 inches. If the snow is between 3 and 6 inches, they will drop the plows on major roads.

At 6 inches of snowfall or mall, the city will bring in more contractors to help with snow removal.

"6 inches is historically that break-even point for folks getting in snowfall. When we get 4-5, even though streets are snow-covered, residents are still able to transverse," Brundige said.