LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two distinct sounds filled the brisk air in neighborhoods throughout Louisville Tuesday afternoon: Steel plows grinding on the pavement, and the screams of children as they hurdled down white hills.
Sixty-person road crews working 12-hour shifts had been trying to clear Louisville’s streets of snow and ice for days. Despite their efforts, many side streets remained coated in untreated snow well into the afternoon.
"We just appreciate the patience that people have, because it’s gonna take us awhile," said Louisville Metro Public Works Director Vanessa Burns. She joined Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's Tuesday press conference. The briefings are a regular part of the city's updates on the coronavirus pandemic, but weather hijacked much of the conversation.
"Our crews have been applying salt at 600 pounds per lane-mile of roadway," Fischer said.
Private plow drivers in expensive pickup trucks joined city crews in the effort, clearing driveways and parking lots for clients. Some had not rested much since snow and freezing rain began falling more than 24 hours before.
"I woke up at 7:00am yesterday morning," one driver said with a slight grin, as he stopped momentarily between passes. He admitted he had been working since then.
While homeowners dug themselves out of their driveways and mail carriers trudged through the powder between houses, laughter filled the air on seemingly every hill in the city. Seneca Golf Course hosted dozens of families skidding on technicolor plastic sleds down sloped fairways. Stalwart flags waved in the breeze. Their cups, buried below, await greener forecasts.
A group of snow-panted neighbors with young children took advantage of the Crescent Hill Reservoirs' less intimidating incline.
"We have very few snow days at the school we work at," chuckled one father.
"The last time I did it, I was two," remarked his daughter, now eight, as she recounted her last sled outing.
Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing as yet another storm moves into the region.
There will be little rest for the snow-weary.