Snow banks, ice, frustrate clearing efforts in Halifax

It's a story of ice versus plow in Halifax today.

"Those snowbanks ... they're concrete. So an average plow truck simply isn't moving that," said Darrin Natolino, head of Halifax's winter operations.

"It'll tuck in an intersection, it'll poke through a snowbank, but it's certainly not able to drive down a road ... and win some real estate."

Unfortunately, chunks of snow could end up at the end of your clean driveway as plows work to widen the roads for emergency vehicles. For priority one streets, asphalt is in sight.

However, yesterday's storm added another layer of ice to priority two roads.

This ice will need to be mechanically removed, Natolino said, or melted by the sun and then plowed away.

Halifax snow-clearing plan

Municipal officials in Halifax issued an update Monday afternoon as to their snow-clearing efforts and the strategy they will be following for the week.

Crews will have two priorities: focusing on improving access and mobility for pedestrians and motorists, and increasing visibility in areas where snow levels make walking or driving unsafe.

The municipality is working with police, fire, transit and paramedic services to flag streets that are problematic for emergency services and buses. It says efforts to widen these areas will be the first priority, while focusing on areas where visibility is poor will be the second priority.

Municipal officials say the focus today is working on sidewalks and punching out holes at intersections to improve mobility for pedestrians, but they are cautioning that crews will not be able to get down to the bare pavement.

The municipality says vehicles left on the street during Sunday’s storm are preventing crews from clearing the streets properly.

The overnight parking ban will be in effect from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Nova Scotia snow-clearing plan

Across the rest of the province, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal says its focus Monday will be to clear the 100-series highways, such as Highway 104 and 101, as well as other main roads. 

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal is contacting private equipment operators for assistance and moving in heavy equipment and crews to some of the harder hit areas of the province," the department said in a statement.

"It may be several days before local and gravel roads are plowed. The department is working with EMO and Nova Scotia Power to assist with emergencies and help restore power outages."

Low risk of flooding

Flooding yesterday forced at least eight people from two lower level apartment units in Clayton Park. There was concern about electrical panels being compromised.

Natolino said the risk of flooding is low in the coming days, but the city does welcome some help. 

"If people know where there's a catchpit and they feel they can expose it and do it safely, yeah I mean that would be amazing," he said.

Natolino admits he had to give up on clearing the two catch basins at the end of his own driveway.

"I live and breathe this stuff. This is what I do. And, sadly, with my tail between my legs yesterday, had to admit that I lost my driveway. ... I'm one of those guys that likes a bare asphalt driveway. I lost it yesterday," Natolino said.

There's been a lot of snow to deal with recently.

"It's all felt like one big long Wednesday to myself and all the staff. ... We'll have to keep trying to get things back as best we can, but ... recognizing that, you know, these challenging conditions will certainly be here ... for a few days anyhow," said Natolino.