Snow cleanup continues three days after historic winter storm slams Pittsburgh area

Snow cleanup continues three days after a historic snowstorm hit the Pittsburgh area. From side streets to main roads, it's been a challenge for crews in cities across the region since Sunday.

However, it appears crews made progress on Wednesday, helping clear out many of the snow-covered roads. Here's a look at how crews in the Pittsburgh area are progressing. 

Cities getting outside help

According to Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor, the city has removed more than 10,000 tons of snow. Forty-seven city trucks and dozens of contractors were working on Wednesday. 

Still, some Pittsburgh business owners went out and rented equipment to get the parking on their roads cleared.   

"The city is just overwhelmed right now with all the trucks that are broke down and everything else that is going on in the other neighborhoods with impassable streets. So, we decided with the weather being what it is for the next week, it's not going anywhere unless we move it," Bigham Tavern owner Joseph Rewis said.   

Meanwhile, other municipalities are getting outside help, too. In Sharpsburg, the borough declared a state of emergency and brought in contractors to help clear snow. 

Like other areas, crews in Sharpsburg are dealing with some of the same problems as Pittsburgh: tight streets and nowhere to put the snow

The concern for road crews is that as it gets colder, the snow freezes, and wet roads turn to ice. 

Greensburg crews work to clear roads

If you look at East Pittsburgh Street in Greensburg from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, you'll see a big difference from what was once a snow-covered street to what is now a cleared, open, and treated road.

Tom Bell, chief of the Greensburg Fire Department and head of the Department of Public Works and Operations, said crews have made a lot of progress on clearing the city's roughly 55 miles of roads and 22 miles of alleyways.

"We're pretty good," Chief Bell said. "We've gotten everything pretty caught up. All the main roads are pretty wide open. We have been working on the last couple of days removing snow from the downtown area. Believe it or not, we were probably hauling anywhere from about 200 to 225 loads a day for the last three days."

KDKA drove the city on Wednesday, and while some roads and alleyways still had some snow, all the byways KDKA traversed were passable.

Still, Bell says there is work to be done clearing certain spots downtown and, in some neighborhoods, making passable streets wider for residents and emergency vehicles.

"Just give us time. We'll get into that neighborhood that everyone is requesting," he said. "You know they want their neighborhood taken care of and their cars and such. .. So, we are going to continuously work to try and get into those neighborhoods to open up some streets."

All the snow the city is picking up is being brought to Lynch Field Park and Offut Park, and there are already several small mountains of snow in both places. And Chief Bell says that crews are going to keep removing snow until all the snow in the city is gone.