Snowplow drivers in the City of Erie have been working around the clock to clear streets.

Their focus has been on the main roads, but now their attention is neighborhoods. Since the snow started falling, they have been working twelve hour shifts to clean things up.


Jeff Gibbens, the Bureau Chief for the City of Erie Streets Department said, "We have just about anybody that wants to work from the Public Works department working, so we have individuals from the sewer department, from our Parks department, to our Waste water treatment plant working, doing various jobs they don't normally do."


Gibbens said by Sunday morning, they were about 75 percent done and the focus was on the side streets. "So we are in the odd/even streets right now . We were in the out layering areas last night, we still have eleven of those that we have not touched. We are going to get those this evening. I'm hoping after 3:00, I'll be back in there, so we took the focus off the main runs and to all the neighborhoods", explained Gibbens.



One of the biggest difficulties the plow drivers have is when there are cars parked on both sides of the road, they can't get through so they have to reverse their way out of the side streets and find alternative ways to clear the roads. As Gibbens explained, "We are just doing our best to work around you, you just have to let us get through, but the ones in the way, if you are in the way, we are going to have to remove it."


Gibbens said the process can be taxing, but there are ways residents can help drivers out. According to Gibbens, "Give us the room we need. Most people have been really really good about it, if we can get all the cars to one side of the street, that would help because then we could open up one side and then you can move the cars over."

Gibbens also said this morning there was about 100 cars that needed removed, so drivers could access the roads and get them plowed.