Buried Cars Block Plows From Clearing City Streets
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As crews rush to fix the Metrodome, plows are still trying to the streets of Minneapolis.
There's a big difference between suburban streets and roads in the cities. It's pretty much clear-sailing in places like Maple Grove.
But some streets in Minneapolis haven't even been plowed yet. Too many cars have been snowed-in, leaving no room for a plow to get down the road.
Monday, it made for a hectic rush hour. Streets have been plowed, but piles of leftover snow in the intersection made for dangerous games of "peek-a-boo."
Impatient motorists driving into an intersection where there was not enough room for their vehicle to make it completely across didn't help.
Most of the city's busiest streets are passable. It's many of the side streets that are a mess. Columbus Avenue South is one of those streets. It hasn't seen a plow. Several blocks away, plows gave Bloomington Avenue the once-over.
"The plow was definitely through here because it was out another 3 or 4 feet this morning when I left for work," said Joe Fricton.
In Minneapolis, 70 plows have to clear a little more than 20 miles of streets each. It's pretty much the same in Maple Grove.
So why is the suburb able to clear snow so much faster? It doesn't have nearly as many cars parked on its streets.
"Road looks good now. Looks like they took care of things pretty well after the storm," said Maple Grove resident Darryl Borhardt.
Back in Minneapolis, cars could not move because of all the snow, causing many streets to not get plowed.
The city took it easy on drivers who were towed during or shortly after the blizzard and did not charge them for the tow. That grace period ended Monday night at 9.
WCCO-TV's Reg Chapman Reports
