Newark faces heavy traffic, snow-clogged roads as students head back to school

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Students in Newark returned to school Wednesday as New Jersey's largest city struggles to dig out from the snow.

State Department of Transportation crews helped clear streets Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Roads, while slippery, were largely cleared.

Christopher Tomlin, NJDOT North Region director of operations, said they worked specifically near schools to make them accessible for students and buses. At peak times, there were as many as 200 crews working on street cleanup.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said every effort is being made to make all streets passable.

But the cleanup isn't over yet.

People who live and work in the area said Wednesday morning's commute suggests more help is needed. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper as New Jersey's largest school district went back to class.

"I'm feeling very disappointed in the city. I'm aggravated. I have been stuck in this traffic two hours, trying to take my boy to school. This is ridiculous," said one mom Wednesday morning.

Most of the roads are passable. But in many areas, snow banks take up more lanes than drivers would like.

"At this point, I have been trying to get to the courthouse since 7:30. It is an hour and a half. There is no reason why we can't get through traffic," said one driver.

People who live in this area said there are just not enough places to put the snow.