Mayor: 80 percent of residential streets in Philadelphia now passable

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Mayor Jim Kenney said on Tuesday afternoon that most of the streets in Philadelphia are now passable following the weekend snowstorm.

In an update Tuesday afternoon, Kenney's office said plowing on all primary roads is complete, with blacktop visible.

All secondary roads are deemed 'passable,' meaning the street may still be snow covered but drivers can traverse them.

Most of the remaining streets require smaller bobcats to remove the snow.

The mayor's office asks resident to make the distinction before contacting the city's 311 line about street conditions.

The snow removal efforts are now focused on residential streets. The city says about 80% of residential streets, about 900 miles, are passable.

Mayor Kenney, Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis and Deputy Managing Director Clarena Tolson said in a statement they remain committed to the goal of having all through streets passable by end of day Wednesday.

But while passable, some streets are only one lane. That means oncoming cars have to move, and risk getting stuck.

The Action Cam was there as that exact scenario played out in Port Richmond. Stan Zagacki was there with a shovel to help.

"Not bad for a 61-year-old guy, eh?" Stan said. "That's the problem you get with it being one lane, people getting stuck. You've got to get a plow down here and get close to those cars."

Though the storm left on Sunday, some people were just now getting to the task of digging out.

"We're from Philly, but we live in Florida now. We actually just flew in for the week. We need this car to help my aunt move so we're going to be doing this all day until we get this car out," said Catherine Rice.

In Kensington, plows came through, but pushed snow back around some cars again.

"They piled it back up and we're out here again working - trying to get the cars right back out," said Elizabeth Reyes.

Some streets are still covered with a thick, icy coating. The warmer temperatures are starting to melt it away and the city wants residents to clear storm drains so it all has somewhere to go.

If you haven't seen a plow, or your street still needs a plow to come through again, the city wants you to call 311. They want you to be very specific about the problem so they know what kind of equipment to get to you.

Mascio added, "It's just part of South Philadelphia. You just deal with it..."