SYRACUSE -- When heavy snow is coming down, Charlie Richards knows that he and his fellow plow drivers are all that stands between the snow and a city wide shutdown.

"Try to keep the emergency moving, police moving, fire department - just in case something happens," said Richards as he wound between parked cars on a narrow street.

Richards also didn't have any trouble taking his multi-ton plow down a steep, slippery hill on Syracuse's east side and said the snow has to be pretty extreme to worry him.

"When it's coming down two or three inches at a time, that's real bad," said Richards. "You just stay on one route all day just trying to keep it clean."

It's easy to take clean roads for granted - but when Kathy Billings had her car broke down in the middle of Teall Ave. on Thursday afternoon, she realized how important the clear roads were.

"I was stuck underneath the bridge there. If that hadn't been plowed out, I could have caused an accident," said Billings.

Matt Kauffman was also did his best to stay ahead of the storm and keep his sidewalk clear. He lives near the top of a hill on the city's east side and doubted that he would have been able to get home if the DPW didn't regularly plow his street.

"When they haven't got out quite yet, being right at the top of the hill, we can hear all the cars struggling to get up that hill," said Kauffman.

Charlie Richards says keeping the roads clear is a challenge and the key is in planning and knowing the routes.

"You've got your rush hours, then you get your side routes after you get the rush hours," said Richards "You get your main routes in the morning and then you get to the side routes."

The DPW expects to have crews going round the clock as they try to deal with the series of snowstorms that are expected to hit Syracuse this week.