Crews working around the clock to ensure Highmark Stadium will be operational for Steelers-Bills playoff game
BUFFALO, N.Y. (KDKA) - The weather in Buffalo has only gotten worse.
A massive team of volunteers from around the area is working around the clock to clear the stadium of heavy piles of snow before Monday afternoon.
It's a pretty fascinating process of how these volunteers are removing the snow. It takes a full task force to tackle the stadium in such a short amount of time.
On Friday, the Bills asked for volunteers to help shovel snow. The work pays $20 per hour, with complimentary food, in a major effort to get the stadium ready for the game.
Logan Eschrich is a Steelers fan and storm chaser who drove to Buffalo to chase the winter storm. Once there, he volunteered to help clear the snow.
"Shoveling-wise, maybe we cleared out two to three feet of snow at a time, and then it would come back within the next hour or so because we were having four to five inches per hour snowfall rates. It was ridiculous!"
Eschrich explained how the snow goes down a large chute to the field, where trucks and machinery haul it away. Every step is carried out by teams of shovelers.
The vice president of operations for the Bills, Andy Major, shared how they plan to get the seats ready in the stadium.
"We have a plan of snow removal of what we call 'bringing the seats,' where we spray a solution on the snow in the seats to help turn it into a much safer situation of slush."
Major says they may use tractors to get rid of any additional snow before the game starts.
"Anything we move from the stadium stands down to the field has to be removed. Once the tarp is off and the snow is removed off the field, any additional snow that might fall before kickoff, we may decide to use the tractors and the brushes to get that snow off [as] we've done in the past."
When asked if he thinks the stadium will be ready in time, Eschrich has doubts.
"Unfortunately, I don't see it. Unless they get that stadium cleared somehow out in time. Honestly, I don't see it."
Crews are expected to work non-stop through the winter storm Sunday night, so we'll see soon enough if things will be set for kick-off at 4:30 Monday afternoon.