I read the article concerning snow removal problems for commuters in today's paper ("The road to recovery hits some big snags," Feb. 17). It noted that eastbound Route 40 narrowed down to one lane at the county/city border. This happens every time it snows -- it is not an isolated occurrence.

While I can understand an incomplete clearing of the road during the initial plowing efforts, I cannot understand why there is no effort to make sure that a similar number of lanes continue on a road. If there are two lanes in the county, why can't those lanes be continued into the city? Don't any of the supervisory personnel drive these roads to check the conditions?

I have also been trapped in standing traffic on Route 40 westbound for the past two evening rush hours because the road was totally blocked to allow snow cleanup. While this may be the most efficient way to handle the snow, sending everyone onto side streets that are poorly cleared doesn't seem to be a good idea. Worse, there is absolutely no mention of the backup on the radio traffic reports. We all hear about problems in the Beltway, but nothing about one of the primary east-west thoroughfares. If we knew in advance that the road was blocked we could pick another route.

Bob Adams, Ellicott City

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