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Winter Storm Leaves Pike, Wayne to Dig Out

The snow totals range from nearly a foot in the Northern Tier to five to eight inches in other locations. Travel was tough especially during the morning commute...

The snow totals range from nearly a foot in the Northern Tier to five to eight inches in other locations.

Travel was tough especially during the morning commute but some roads were poor much of the day.

One interstate leaving our area was closed to all traffic. I-84 at the New York border.

New York's governor announced 84 was back open around 2:30 p.m.

The traffic ban forced drivers to find alternate routes or sit tight until the conditions improved.

There was not a lot of traffic on Interstate 84 because of the slick weather. Plow trucks were out on the highway but signs along the eastbound lanes let drivers know about the closed interstate over the New York border.

In Pike County, I-84 stayed open but that doesn't mean truck drivers went very far. Some were stranded at a rest stop since the early morning hours.

"We've been digging out drivers all morning. They had tow trucks in here, guys getting stuck getting in and out of here. Grabbed a couple of snow shovels and been helping dig our way out," said Dwayne Raley of North Carolina.

Drivers at the rest stop along 84 said tow trucks were the only option for stuck trucks.

Elsewhere in Wayne County it was a day-long effort to clear roads, sidewalks or anything else necessary after upwards of a foot of snow fell in this storm.

Once the snow stopped falling here in Bethany, two teenagers were taking care of business. About one foot of snow-covered sidewalk, enough to make shoveling a monumental task.

"It's pretty crazy, there's a lot of snow out here, it's fun," said 10th grader Mike Griffin. "We've been up since like 6:30 shoveling."

That's about four hours of work when we caught up with them. They weren't alone. Peter Miller had a day off work and spent more than an hour with a shovel in-hand.

"I was debating on waiting, but the possible rain coming, I didn't know if that would literally break our backs," said Miller of Bethany.

In Honesdale, public works crews were out in full force taking care of all the side streets that were blanketed with snow. They were on the clock since 2:30 Wednesday morning.

"We have between 16-18 miles in the borough we maintain, plus our bridges, Central Park, police station, parking lots. I have four full-timers and 2 part-timers," said the borough's Director of Public Works Richard Doney.

While area schools cancelled classes for the day, businesses still had to be ready for customers. We found Brandon Sullum moving snow off the sidewalk outside Jerry Land Jewelers on Main Street.

"Just doing the sidewalks and making sure they're all clear for all the people to come and still shop," he said. "I've seen worse, it doesn't bother me really, I'm a kid. Keeps myself occupied. Don't mind it."

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