Imagine driving down a street on a bright reflective winter day and coming upon this scene right in front of you. The street is West 239th Street between Blackstone And Independence Avenues. This is no side street, but one of the three main roads that lead across the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Con Edison dug up this street as part of its "oil to gas conversion" two weeks before Thanksgiving. Chanukah, Christmas, and the New Year have all passed with the third week of January upon us. Con Edison has said that the work would be done all before the new year, and a few other things such as "we don't have to tell you anything where or when we dig, and for how long". Street work like this should last no more than two to four weeks at a location. However since Con Edison has an outside contractor doing the work, and only doing spot check ups on their contractors - This is exactly what happens. 
With the onset of snow and snowplows going up and down streets to clear the snow two things happen when they come upon the many, many, many, metal plates Con Edison has left on the streets. One is that snow plows hit these metal plates and move them (as in the photos to the left), or two the plows just don't plow over them leaving the metal plates an accident waiting to happen when either a person or car slides on them.
Below are photos after workers came back to this street not to finish the work, but just move the metal plates back over the opening.
My guess is that in the past when Con Edison did this work and quickly fixed the street that problems occurred such as leaking gas vapors at PS 81 and other sites shortly afterwards. Con Edison must not want to fix the street completely if they are going to have to dig it up again due to the shoddy work of their contractors. Below are photos after the metal plates were moved back in place here.
As you see in the photo on the right - these metal plates are in the middle of the street.
