A barge with road salt for Philadelphia blocked by frozen Delaware River
The delivery is ultimately slated to head to Fairless Hills, which is currently “iced in."
In a bit of winter irony, a barge carrying 21,000 tons of salt reinforcements for Philadelphia can’t get through the frozen Delaware River, according to city officials.
At the Pelbano Recreation Center in Bustleton Wednesday, Director of Clean and Green Initiatives Carlton Williams said the city had used more than 30,000 tons in January, which included 9.3 inches of snowfall at the end of the month.
The city still has 15,000 tons on reserve, but Williams said officials are watching salt levels closely and using judgment when dispersing what’s left. He said inspectors are being sent out to sites where salting has been requested to 311 to ensure treatment is warranted in an effort to ensure the city has enough salt until the reinforcements arrive.
“We definitely need to make sure our salt levels are at a sufficient amount so that if we get another storm like this, we can be out there prepared to fight,” he said.
The delivery is ultimately slated to head to Fairless Hills, which is currently “iced in,” according to Office of Emergency Management Director Dominick Mireles.
How long the barge has been stuck wasn’t immediately clear but Mireles said the U.S. Coast Guard continues to perform ice-cutting operations on the river.
City officials noted the frozen sections of the river offer a reminder of how the elements have not done plows and snow cleanup crews any favors in breaking up what have now become dirty, hardened, sometimes rock-solid chunks of ice across the city.
» READ MORE: Philly’s unplowed snow has slowed SEPTA and frustrated residents and businesses
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration, like those in other East Coast cities, has received no shortage of criticism for inaccessible crosswalks and SEPTA bus stations that remained icy days after the biggest snowstorm in a decade.
In the snow cleanup update at Pelbano, Parker assured the public that the city continued to work nonstop to help the city return to normal.
Still, she said, as seen with the frozen barge, that work isn’t always in the spotlight.
As for the salt, Parker said the administration is “investigating alternate methods of resupply” as they wait.