St. Paul to residents: Bear with us on icy roads

St. Paul is urging residents to be patient as the city works to clear streets of treacherous ice and improve driving conditions.

On Facebook, scores of residents ripped the city for the poor condition of major and side streets and especially intersections. One resident said, "I am genuinely frightened as I go out into the city with my children."

Many said surrounding communities did a much better job with their roads.

Another complained, "This isn't the first and only time the city roads are in bad shape. This is a yearly winter-long event."

But city spokesman Joe Campbell says it's not a fair comparison, because St. Paul has more traffic.

"We've been out for a number of days, dropping about 2,000 tons or salt and sand, unloaded about 6,000 gallons on brine," he said. "We feel like we've done a good job or trying to get ahead of it. Unfortunately, the storm threw us some curveballs that we could not anticipate."

Campbell says residents can call or e-mail the city to report icy spots that need special attention.

The city's 24-hour street maintenance hotline is 651-266-9700. E-mails should be sent to snowemergency@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota State Patrol is urging motorists to be more cautious on highways. Driving conditions on most highways in the state are rated fair. Some are difficult.