MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The City of Milwaukee is under a snow emergency once again Monday night, Dec. 1. That emergency resumes at 10 p.m. and runs through 6 a.m. Tuesday. This means all cars must be parked on the odd side of the street starting tonight at 10.

The biggest challenges for DPW crews are traffic and parking. That's why on days snow emergencies are declared, they ask you to park on one side of the street, so all this snow can be cleared. As Southeast Wisconsin saw about 12 inches of snow, DPW workers like Ernest Stubbs have been out for days, working around the clock. Their shifts are typically 10 to 12 hours. "I think Mother Nature thought she’d catch us by surprise and not ready on a holiday weekend," said Stubbs, lead accident investigator and inspector for the City of Milwaukee's Dept. of Public Works. But he said they were ready.

"The snow didn’t get to pile up. We continually maintained the roads. Everything was wet and runny, just slushy. All the preparation we do in summer, spring, and fall prepared us for this snow."

Salt trucks were deployed - 102 - and we're told it typically takes 24 to 48 hours to clear every road after snow officially stops falling.

Over 90% of roads in the city of Milwaukee were reportedly cleared as of 11 a.m. Dec. 1. Now, their crews focus on the secondary or arterial roads. Before the first snowflake even fell, DPW treated the roads with pre-brine and salt to make their job later easier. Stubbs shared that approximately 200-300 pounds of salt per lane mile were used, "that mixes in with snow and traffic and sun, that keeps everything from sticking, and as plows start to push it away, it keeps everything pretty wet and running."

Milwaukee saw a record amount of snowfall this Saturday, 6.1 inches. That took leaf collection off the calendar: "Unfortunately, we got snow. So, leaves go to the back, and we’ll get them once snow gives us a break," continued Stubbs.

DPW emphasizes they're doing their best and asks for your patience as they continue to clear the roads. Stubbs recommends when you shovel your driveway or sidewalk, push the snow to the right side, so that plows can hopefully take it away from you instead of pushing it back into your driveway.

When it comes to those leaves that still haven't been picked up, Milwaukee officials say the same crews that pick up leaves are the ones that clear snow, same as their equipment. So right now, the priority is cleaning up the snow to ensure safety. Once they're done with that, and the snowpack melts, they'll go back and pick up the leaves. Wauwatosa shared that for their residents, they can expect any piles of leaves left on the curb to be picked up on Tuesday or Wednesday.