2008 Woodie Awards
Columbus cleans up after more than 20 inches of snowfall
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: State
COLUMBUS - Highway and utility crews cleared major highways yesterday in time for morning commuters to return to work following a record-setting snow storm that buried much of Ohio over the weekend.
Cleanup crews worked overtime on main streets and highways Sunday, pushing away snow that began falling Friday and didn't let up until Saturday evening.
Many workers returned to their downtown offices, but schools in Columbus and other central Ohio districts closed yesterday since sidewalks and side streets remained jammed with piles of snow, raising safety concerns for students walking to school.
Some rural school districts in southwest Ohio started classes later than usual. Cincinnati Public Schools were on a regular schedule, as were Dayton Public Schools.
Yesterday was the first day of the annual Ohio Graduation Test. Schools that delayed the start of classes were still required to give the reading portion of the exam. But thousands of students whose schools were closed must make up the reading part March 17, said Education Department spokesman Scott Blake.
He said many districts had already scheduled makeup time next week for individual students expected to miss parts of the exam. Other portions of the test include math, science and writing.
Motorists were still urged to use caution yesterday, said Mary Carran Webster, the assistant public service director in Columbus.
The late-winter storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow on Columbus, while blizzard conditions caused most people to hunker down inside homes. By mid-afternoon Sunday, snow plows had been to just 55 of the city's 196 residential zones, Webster said.
Ohio State University held classes yesterday, but warned that parking would be more difficult than usual. Parking lots are plowed but not down to the pavement, and garage ramps were slippery, officials said.
Throughout the weekend, cleanup crews were busy in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which each received about a foot of snow. In downtown Cincinnati, crews hauled piles of snow away by dump truck.
Cleanup crews worked overtime on main streets and highways Sunday, pushing away snow that began falling Friday and didn't let up until Saturday evening.
Many workers returned to their downtown offices, but schools in Columbus and other central Ohio districts closed yesterday since sidewalks and side streets remained jammed with piles of snow, raising safety concerns for students walking to school.
Some rural school districts in southwest Ohio started classes later than usual. Cincinnati Public Schools were on a regular schedule, as were Dayton Public Schools.
Yesterday was the first day of the annual Ohio Graduation Test. Schools that delayed the start of classes were still required to give the reading portion of the exam. But thousands of students whose schools were closed must make up the reading part March 17, said Education Department spokesman Scott Blake.
He said many districts had already scheduled makeup time next week for individual students expected to miss parts of the exam. Other portions of the test include math, science and writing.
Motorists were still urged to use caution yesterday, said Mary Carran Webster, the assistant public service director in Columbus.
The late-winter storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow on Columbus, while blizzard conditions caused most people to hunker down inside homes. By mid-afternoon Sunday, snow plows had been to just 55 of the city's 196 residential zones, Webster said.
Ohio State University held classes yesterday, but warned that parking would be more difficult than usual. Parking lots are plowed but not down to the pavement, and garage ramps were slippery, officials said.
Throughout the weekend, cleanup crews were busy in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which each received about a foot of snow. In downtown Cincinnati, crews hauled piles of snow away by dump truck.
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