Snow Piles Force Change To St. Patrick's Day Parade Route
SOUTH BOSTON (CBS) – The St. Patrick's Day parade is set to go on as regularly scheduled but with some possible changes. The route might be slightly different.
Driving along the route you'll notice post blizzard potholes make for a bumpy ride, but for the most part West Broadway in South Boston is wide open. It's the side streets like 4th, 5th, K and L that are nearly impassable.
"I really don't I don't see how they'd do it," Mike D'Agostino, a Southie resident, said about keeping the parade on the same path.
D'Agostino can barely navigate the sidewalks of Southie, he's doubtful the floats will have an easier time in the street 12 days from now.
"I want to have it if they can figure out how, it might be a little tough," D'Agostino said.
In Scituate and Yarmouth, it's a similar story. Yarmouth will bring in state workers to clear the sidewalks. Unfortunately, in Scituate, removing all this white snow costs too much green, so the town's celebration has been pushed back to April 12.
That's the trouble with these parade routes. The sidewalks are extremely narrow so there's few places for people to stand. Even if you can find a place it's hard to see over the snow banks and into the street.
"They could shoot it down Broadway over to Dorchester Street," Joe Cummings of South Boston said.
Cummings, who is a lifelong K street resident, suggests keeping the march to the main roads. Like most of his neighbors he wants to see the parade go on as scheduled, as this winter has kept us away from normal life for long enough.
"Have it and get it over with," Cummings said.
"It's just been generation after generation, my kids and me when I was younger we look forward to it," Donna Lavallee of South Boston said.
Organizers are analyzing other options for float travel, a formal plan has yet to be finalized.