Deep freeze, equipment breakdowns the cause of snow-clogged Halifax sidewalks

Travelling on foot in Halifax has been an adventure in the wake of two significant storms that have clogged city sidewalks with snow.

Back-to-back storms have dumped almost 30 centimetres of snow on the municipality, followed by ice pellets and freezing rain.

The city says it’s doing its best, but dealing with the icy mess left behind has been a challenge for crews and their equipment, which has been breaking down due to the heavy snow and ice.

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Halifax’s superintendent of winter operations, Trevor Harvie, said the city is working day and night while putting in a lot of man hours to get the city back to normal.

“Sidewalks are our biggest issue right here now, just with that heavy snow and the amount of rain and freezing rain,” said Harvie.

“A lot of heavy, wet snow means a lot of our sidewalk equipment…. just isn’t able to get through it as fast and efficiently as it usually does.”

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Harvie says the city’s equipment has also been taking a beating, and with parts of the city having mounds of snow and ice reaching as high as three feet, crews have been pushing their equipment to the limit.

“We’re having some mechanical breakdowns due to the tough effort out there — a lot of private snow, a lot of street snow deposited onto the sidewalks, all that contributing just to the slow progress but (we) are out there making continuous efforts,” Harvie says.

Although the city has been making considerable headway, there are still some problem areas.

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2:12 ‘Disruptive’ snow removal depot operating without city permit, says Halifax

Back on the sidewalks, residents are trying to make the best of the situation. Many commuters said they left a little earlier this morning to allow for slower travel.

Others said they had nothing to complain about compared to those who are forced to travel on the sidewalk.

“I’m lucky; I’m not in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller around so I have it pretty easy,” said one commuter.

The winter parking ban has been lifted for Tuesday, but crews will be working on clearing sidewalks throughout the night and into Wednesday.

The municipality says it is asking residents to refrain from parking on select streets in downtown Halifax and Dartmouth as the city attempts to target its snow-clearing efforts.

Those streets include:

• Hollis Street from Cogswell Street to South Street
• Gottingen from North Street to Rainnie Drive
• Summer Street from University Avenue to Sackville Street
• Argyle Street
• Prince Street
• Sackville Street
• Blowers Street
• Alderney Drive from King Street to Park Avenue
• Ochterloney Street from Alderney Drive to Edward Street
• Queen Street from Alderney Drive to Edward Street

If vehicles are obstructing snow-clearing efforts, they can be ticketed or towed under Nova Scotia’s Motor Vehicle Act.