Road-clearing companies say they are ready for the next blast of winter weather to hit B.C.’s South Coast.
Mainroad Contracting said crews are working around the clock to clean up after Sunday’s snowfall and were “ready to respond” to a second round of snow Monday evening.
Snowfall began in earnest in the Lower Mainland during Monday’s evening commute, and while there were significant delays in some areas, the gridlock that manifested during November’s first snowstorm was not repeated.
TransLink warned travellers of system-wide delays, and urged people to dress warmly and to give themselves extra time to get to their destination.
Due to the below-zero temperatures, road crews will be using winter abrasives including salt, sand, and brine to make sure the roads are safe.
The province is urging anyone who must drive in the conditions, to make sure their vehicle is properly equipped with winter tires.
“It is important for drivers to keep their distance as sand is applied and to not pass winter maintenance equipment,” the province said in a media release Monday “Drivers who must travel should maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.”
In addition, drivers should safely move over when they see a vehicle with an amber light approaching.
After Sunday’s snowfall, however, many drivers across the Lower Mainland said roads were not cleared in a timely manner and driving conditions were unacceptable.
In North Vancouver, some drivers were having an extremely difficult time climbing “the cut,” the steep section of Highway 1 shortly after the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge.
Trevor Halford, the MLA for Surrey-White Rock, said the province has dropped the ball when it comes to being ready for winter conditions on the provincially-managed roadways.
“It’s going to come down to provincial leadership,” he said. “And the fact is, when we had a (snow) incident a few weeks ago where it was a nightmare for travellers in British Columbia, you had a transportation minister that was MIA.”
Halford said he would like to see a more coordinated approach to snow-clearing but the province assures drivers that crews are doing everything they can.
“We are definitely in winter conditions,” said Ashok Bhatti, executive director for the South Coast region with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, there are situations where drivers are not properly equipped so we are seeing some issues in very localized areas.
“The contractors are out in full force. We’ve got 100 pieces of equipment out in the Lower Mainland alone, out there snowplowing, brining, putting out winter abrasives and sand and we have similar numbers on the island as well.”
A snowfall warning has once again been issued for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and parts of Vancouver Island Monday.
Environment Canada issued the warning for Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, Malahat Highway – Goldstream to Mill Bay, Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast – Gibsons to Earls Cove, Southern Gulf Islands, East Vancouver Island – Duncan to Nanaimo, East Vancouver Island – Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, West Vancouver Island, and inland Vancouver Island.
Starting Monday night, Environment Canada says between 10 and 15 centimetres is expected for most regions but up to 20 centimetres could fall in Victoria, on the Malahat Highway, the Southern Gulf Islands, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, and East Vancouver Island from Duncan to Fanny Bay.
The snow and ice program has been deployed for the Port Mann Bridge and Alex Fraser Bridge, according to Mainroad Contracting. Intermittent lane closures will be in effect, subject to weather conditions.
Comments