City Officials Scrambling To Get Rid Of Snow Damage Before O's Opening Day

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- We're still seeing the impact after January's record-breaking snowstorm. The mountains of snow the city was allowed to store at two of Camden Yards' parking facilities has city officials scrambling.

George Solis explains the reason behind the rush to fix the damage.

With Orioles' opening day less than a month away, the race is on to ensure parking will be plentiful.

Work crews are paving over a rough patch outside Camden Yards. Two months ago, these very same lots---G and H---were buried in snow after the historic blizzard of 2016 blanketed the state.

"If you look back at those pictures, there will be mounds of snow higher than the light poles," said Philip Hutson, Maryland Stadium Authority.

Sixty-thousand tons were stored by the city in space offered up by the Maryland Stadium Authority. Friday afternoon, WJZ got a very different snapshot of the lots after the snow melted.

"Over that operation, there was some damage to the lot," Hutson said.

Torn-up asphalt and craters large enough to swallow up orange construction barrels.

It's a big problem with Orioles' opening day less than a month away.

"We will meet that deadline," Hutson said. "We have no option.

The cost of the repairs is roughly half a million dollars.

"It's part of the cost of getting the snow removed from the city," said Adrienne Barnes, Baltimore Department of Transportation.

It's money the city may try to recover through federal grants.

"Right now, our goal is to restore the stadium back to good condition," Barnes said.

Weather permitting, the work is expected to be done later this month.

Transportation officials say there will be ongoing discussions to address limiting damage to parking lots should they need the storage space again in the future.