Be patient; Vernon road crews will eventually get to your street

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January 05, 2015 - 8:35 AM

UPDATE: PUBLIC TRANSIT RESUMES SERVICE WITH SOME DETOURS IN EFFECT

VERNON - City of Vernon crews are working as fast as they can to clear roads, but it will still be some time before all streets are plowed and sanded.

With over 35 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours, public works manager James Rice says crews are facing extremely difficult road conditions.

“Currently, all available city resources are being used for snow and ice control,” Rice says.

Plow trucks will remain on main roads until the snow fall stops. Once the snow fall stops and main roads have been plowed and sanded, plow trucks will then proceed to local residential roads.

It will take approximately 36 hours after the snow fall stops to plow and sand all roads within the city.

Residents are reminded to plow or shovel sidewalks adjacent to their property and to please plow or shovel sidewalk and driveway snow back to front yard areas where possible. Snow plowed onto roadways reduces road snow storage areas and can create a hazard for motorists.

“We appreciate your patience during these challenging weather conditions,” Rice says.

B.C. Transit routes were shut down for the most part Monday morning, but as of 1:10 p.m. was back up and running, albeit with some detours to avoid hills.Transit drivers will stick to the normal weekday schedule as much as is possible under the conditions. The following routes, and alterations, are now in effect:

Route 1 Coldstream
Missing 11th St and Sarsons Road—travelling from the terminus up Highway 6 to Aberdeen Road and continuing from there. The bus is not turning onto McClounie Loop, but is staying on Kalamalka Lake Rd.

Route 2 Pleasant Valley
Not travelling up Centennial Drive or 29th Street until open to two-way traffic.

Route 3 Alexis Park
Complete route, as long as 29th St is open to two-lane traffic. Since Village Green Centre has closed for the day, buses will be routed past the Mall.

Route 4
Cancelled service on this route as cars parked in driving lanes are causing traffic conflictions and hills may be unsuitable for driving.

Route 5 South Vernon
Route travelling up to Mission Hill on Okanagan Avenue not included in route at this time.

Route 6 College
Route along 15th Avenue is bypassed at this time. College service is suspended until further notice.

Route 7 and 8
Buses will not be going up Bella Vista or Allenby roads but will stay on 27th and Tronson Road.

Route 90
Busses cannot get into Oyama or the Okanagan College Campus in Vernon.

Route 60
Busses travelling on highway only, stopping at Petro-Can in Armstrong and City Hall in Enderby.

Route 61
Busses travelling along the highway only with no service to Whitevale Rd or Lavington area off highway.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

—This story was edited at 11:15 a.m., again at 1:15 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. Jan. 3 to include updated information about public transit.