Businesses and residents are working hard to clear sidewalks, Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015, after the massive dump of snow Sunday and Monday.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
January 08, 2015 - 11:17 AM
VERNON - Machinery issues have set back snow removal efforts in Vernon.
Snow clearing on 27 Street was delayed Wednesday due to mechanical difficulties with the city’s large snow blower, communications coordinator Tanya Laing Gahr said in a media release.
The blower was repaired late Wednesday and snow removal in the downtown core picked up overnight and continued Thursday. Approximately 40 cm of snow fell on Vernon streets earlier this week.
Road edges and sidewalks on 27 Street and 32 Street are now scheduled to be cleared overnight Thursday and Friday.
All residential streets and cul-de-sacs have been plowed and sanded, and crews will now be moving onto bus stops, work which will begin Thursday and will run into next week. B.C. Transit has resumed its usual routes and schedules, except for Route # 4-East Hill where adjustments have been necessary due to restricted access along 23 Avenue and 26 Street. Until the roads are more accessible, the bus will continue along 18 Street to 32 Avenue, without turning left onto 23 Avenue, before returning to the transit terminus downtown.
At the moment, many two-lane roadways in the city have narrowed into one due to snow accumulation, and the visibility at intersections may be reduced, Laing Gahr said. Melting snow could also impact storm drains, or freeze to ice.
“Motorists are reminded to use caution and to watch for pedestrians."
Drivers are also being asked by the city to slow down and use caution near snow removal equipment.
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 updated at 1 p.m. Jan. 8 to include B.C. Transit route adjustments.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015