Cleanup underway after record-breaking first snowfall in Ottawa
The cleanup continues across Ottawa after a record-breaking first snowfall of the season.
Environment Canada says 11.7 cm of snow was recorded at the Ottawa Airport on Sunday.
The 11.7 cm of snow set a record for the greatest snowfall on Nov. 9 in Ottawa, surpassing the previous record of 10.2 cm set in 1897.
School buses, OC Transpo buses and the O-Train continue to run, but officials warn there may be some slow on the roads.
City of Ottawa officials say the plowing of roads and sidewalks has been going well.
“We were ready. Once the storm started and we put our resources out, we just keep moving – we keep rolling the trucks on the roads and sidewalks,” Bryden Denyes, Ottawa’s area manager of roads, told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal.
“It was heavy for a couple of hours. It did allow for some snow accumulation to happen on the roads, even though we were working through.”
Denyes said when the snow is accumulating fast, “it doesn’t matter how many pieces of equipment you have.”
The focus on Monday will shift to residential streets.
“Right now, we’re doing out final touches and cleanups on our priority roadways and working through our sidewalks,” Denyes said.
“We will be getting into, very soon, residential streets to get out some materials, whether we’re salting or gritting on those streets to open up the centres and make them a little bit more drive able.”
The snow began falling at approximately 11 a.m. on Sunday, with five centimetres of snow by 5 p.m. and another six centimetres of snow during the evening.
Ontario Provincial Police responded to over 120 collisions on highways across eastern Ontario on Sunday afternoon. Ottawa OPP responded to 19 collisions on Highway 416 and Highway 417, with no serious injuries reported.
Denyes said the milder temperatures in the forecast will help crews cleanup this week.
“Any pack on that we have, clean the sidewalks – it’s not all going to melt, but with this type of weather now we have to be aware of what could happen at night when it does drop below freezing,” Denyes said
