City Plowing

About City Plowing

At four in the morning in Hunters Point the towers stand lit and empty, and the Queensboro Bridge hangs there with snow blowing sideways through its lights. City Plowing works that hour — plowing lots and garage ramps, opening walks and entrances, salting and de-icing before the first people make their way toward the water. Along the East River the wind does half the job and undoes the other half, drifting a finished lane back in while you clear the far end. Long Island City pavement is unforgiving, so the pass has to be clean and the salt has to be down ahead of the refreeze. By sunrise the ramps are dark and wet and the day gets to begin on time.