MINOT — Snow removal has been underway this week in downtown Minot, but the process of scraping, loading, and hauling has been taking place out of the public eye.
Working overnight hours, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., city crews are clearing excess snow from a 26-block area in the center of the city. Work began Sunday night and is expected to continue until Thursday morning.
“The streets get tight with so much snow,” said Derek Hackett, City of Minot public information officer. “The biggest complaint now is parking. The snow has to go somewhere. With no boulevards that sometimes means in parking spots.”
Downtown visitors will notice the difference whether on foot or in a vehicle, both in accessibility and overall appearance. Streets and avenues were beginning to become choked with an abundance of snow being pushed to the side of thoroughfares, creating narrower than usual traffic lanes and making street parking difficult.
“It’s certainly nicer to move that snow,” said Hackett. “Merchants have better access to their customers. It also goes to show the need for parking structures down there.”
The current snow removal project in downtown Minot is the third this winter season. Hackett said it has been a few years since so much snow removal was needed downtown, noting that three significant snowfall events have occurred this winter.
“We do it on a kind of as needed basis,” explained Hackett. “We do as much as we need to do.”
Hackett said city crews follow Minot’s snow plan, which includes an initial pass by snow clearing equipment. Then, as time allows, crews work at clearing excess snow as necessary at various locations throughout the city.
