Chicago Weather: Chicago Starts Digging Out From Massive Snow Piles

CHICAGO (CBS) -- After a colossal winter storm dumped nearly 18 inches of snow on parts of Chicago over the past couple days, city crews and drivers alike have an immense task ahead of them to dig out.

The good news is the snow finally stopped. The bad news: many side streets are still impassable, even with more than 300 city salt and plow trucks on the roads.

Department of Streets and Sanitation Deputy Commissioner Cole Stallard said it will be a while before plows get to all of the city's side streets, after spending more than a day clearing the city's main streets and Lake Shore Drive amid nearly non-stop snowfall from Sunday night through Tuesday morning.

The city prioritizes arterial roads while it's snowing to make sure they're clear for police, ambulance, and fire calls, as well as CTA buses.

Katherine Keller, of Logan Square, said she understands that priority, but she'd like to see some plows soon on her street.

"I wish they'd gotten to this street here, because I know a lot of people on this street are gonna have to go to work, and it's just not safe right now to be driving like this," she said.

Many side streets are still covered in several inches of snow, with only narrow ruts from passing cars, making travel on many side streets treacherous, if not impossible until a plow comes through.

You can check the progress of snow plows in your neighborhood with the city's Plow Tracker.

Keller wanted to get the snow digging out of the way first, but she said she'll be working from home today; a wise choice if you have the option.

CBS 2 spotted some drivers getting stuck on main roads earlier, near California and Fullerton.

We also spotted a crew hard at work clearing sidewalks, but not all homeowners and business owners have gotten around to that yet. They might still be sore from last night's shoveling.

Starting Tuesday, the City of Chicago will send out dump trucks to try to collect some of the snow that has piled up on corners and side streets, and move it to other locations with more room.

These locations were selected last summer.