Crews continue to remove remains of record snowfall
It was one of the biggest snowfalls in years and took days to clear the streets. Now, it’s time to get rid of all the snow.
This week, city crews are hard at work removing those massive snowbanks off the side of the road.
“It’s the biggest one in the last five years that we’ve had,” said Bryden Denyes, the city of Ottawa’s area manager, urban roads.
Last Monday almost 50cm of snow fell in the capital, and still more fell Wednesday.
Today, a lot of it still sits on the side of residential streets.
“It was definitely a challenging storm to get through,” says Denyes. “There was a lot of snow that came down. And then we had another storm right after. It took a little while to get stuff treated, but we’ve got everything open up now and now we’re doing the final cleanup.”
Denyes is in charge of making sure everyone can get from A to B as safely as possible during these tough winter months. His crew on Monday was filling trucks with thousands of pounds of snow, clearing each street one by one of what remains of the storm.
“We started our full snow removal operations this past night,” he said. “And it will be ongoing for at least two weeks, maybe a bit longer depending on weather conditions. If we have any more snow, obviously we have to switch to treating the storm versus snow removal. But it’s going quite well so far.”
Work follows the city’s road and sidewalk classification system. They start with priority roadways and then work down to residential areas.
If you see temporary no parking signs in your neighbourhood, keep vehicles clear of snowbanks during the posted times.
“If your vehicle is still there when we show up to do our work, we will move those vehicles to a close side street that has either been removed already, or hasn’t been,” Denyes said. “But you will also receive a ticket for impeding snow removal operations.”
The fine for that is $125, with an early payment option of $105.
Multiple crews were out in the downtown urban area on Monday. Smaller side streets should see crews beginning next week. The city is asking residents for their patients as they work as quickly as possible.
“Depending on the streets that they’re assigned to, crew size can vary,” says Denyes. “But typically the crews consist of the big snow blower, typically two graders that pull the snow. A couple sidewalk machines and anywhere from eight to sixteen trucks to haul the snow.”
All this snow will be taken to one of the city’s seven engineered snow disposal facilities across the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.