LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Sixteen days after an ice storm hit Lexington, some neighborhoods are still dealing with dangerous driving conditions as city crews have yet to clear certain residential streets.
Carla Matamoro, who lives on Ak Sar Ben Park, said her road remains untouched by the city despite multiple calls for help.
"We have neighbors unable to go to work, cars are parked on the street, and it's just been very, very frustrating," Matamoro said.
The city has prioritized roads using a ranking system from one to five, with five being the lowest priority. Matamoro's street falls into the category 5 designation, meaning it's last on the list for snow and ice removal.
"Two to three weeks already and our streets are not cleared and we are being numbered. One to five, so five is the last on the list, which is us, and by the time the sun comes up, what do we have? A ton of water on our streets," Matamoro said.
After calling 311 multiple times without receiving a response, Matamoro attempted to take matters into her own hands by hiring a private contractor.
"I paid a guy $450. He couldn't even get through the streets to do his job and so our streets are very, very ridiculous. The other thing is, I broke the axle on my truck just having to get to work on a daily basis. That truck is for ministry purposes to go and drop food off to clients and stuff like that. I have to come out of pocket for 600 plus dollars," Matamoro said.
The road conditions remain extremely hazardous, with ice so thick it resembles a skating rink. Tire grooves frozen into the ice create additional bumps and obstacles for drivers attempting to navigate the street.
Matamoro expressed particular concern for elderly residents in her neighborhood who may attempt to clear snow themselves.
"This is merely elderly people on this street, so I am worried that they can step out trying to scrape their own snow and slip and fall. It's very, very dangerous here right now," Matamoro said.
After living in Lexington for more than 20 years, Matamoro said she's never experienced delays like this in road clearing efforts.
"You're trying to glide through. You're afraid of hitting people's cars on the side street because they can't park on their property. It's really ridiculous. We're reaching out for help. We need help to clear our streets," Matamoro said.
