‘This is not your typical storm’: City of Ottawa warns of prolonged cleanup of 30-40 cm snow storm this week

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Biggest snowstorm of the season on the way

City of Ottawa preparing as winter storm on the way

The City of Ottawa’s fleet of snowplows will be deployed to try to keep commuters moving during the biggest winter storm to hit the capital in three years, but officials warn it will be a “prolonged” operation to clear the snow.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Ottawa, calling for 30 to 40 cm of snow to fall Wednesday night and Thursday. The city has declared a ‘Significant Weather Event,” warning it will take “longer than usual to restore the transportation network” following the storm.

“We are ready; this is what we’re here for,” Bryden Denyes, area manager – special operations, told CTV Morning Live Wednesday morning.

• ‘This is not your typical storm’: City of Ottawa warns of prolonged cleanup of 30-40 cm snow storm this week

In a memo to Council, Jake Gravelle, area manager – Urban, Roads and Parking Services with Public Works, said all resources will be deployed to clear sidewalks, priority roads, bus routes, the Transitway and the winter cycling network, but it will take a while to clear the snow.

“By declaring a Significant Weather Event, we know that we will not be meeting our winter maintenance timeline objectives, and snow clearing and treating operations will take longer than usual,” Gravel said. “Accumulation on our network will be heavy and wet and our sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network will be covered with snow.

“This is not your typical storm, and we anticipate that multiple passes will be required to clear and treat these conditions.”

Ottawa has more than 500 pieces of equipment for winter operations, including graders, loaders, sidewalk plows and salt trucks.

• OC Transpo reducing bus service, parking articulated buses on Thursday due to significant snowstorm

“Our staff are going through preparations now. Those preparations include making sure our equipment is ready; we have all our materials. Our staff are ready; making sure our staff are prepped for night work, day work,” Denyes said. “We are in the process of doing some selective snow removal to make snow storage capacity.

“Really, it’s monitoring the storm so we know we can deploy our resources as soon as that storm starts.”

The city has said roads and sidewalks are cleared based on their “usage volume and priority level,” starting with major roads and arterials, Highway 174 and the Transitway. The snow clearing will begin on the high-priority roads and sidewalks at the start of the storm.

Denyes said that based on the forecast, the Thursday morning commute will be “impacted.”

“When we get through this storm, it will probably be later in the day Thursday, we’re going to have to look at plowing residential streets. We’re going to have to look at opening and cleaning stuff up, so there will be a prolonged response to this storm from our crews.”

Winter Weather Parking Ban

The City of Ottawa is declaring back-to-back winter weather parking bans to allow crews to clear the snow.

The parking bans will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and then from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday.

“These two back-to-back winter weather parking bans are essential for the support of our operations,” Gravelle said.

The city issues a winter weather parking ban when more than 7 cm of snow is in the forecast.

During a winter weather parking ban, only vehicles with a residential parking permit are allowed to park on city streets.

The city says the following park and ride locations are open for parking during a winter weather parking ban:

• Riverview (at Earl Armstrong)
• Innovation (at Innovation Drive)
• Chapel Hill
• Nepean Woods (at Strandherd Drive)
• Greenboro
• Leitrim
• Eagleson (west lot)

“The locations have designated parking areas, clearly marked with directional signs and parking signs, indicating that Winter Weather Parking is available during a ban. These spaces will be opened to residents during the parking ban,” the city says on its website.

Here are other temporary parking locations during a winter weather parking ban:

• Richelieu Vanier Community Centre – 300 des Peres-Blancs Avenue
• Louis Kemp Arena – 200 Glen Park Drive
• W. Erskine Johnson Arena – 3832 Carp Road
• Cardelrec Recreation Complex Golbourn – 1500 Shea Road
• Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre – 102 Greenview Avenue
• Pinecrest Recreation Complex – 2250 Torquay Avenue
• Nepean Sportsplex – 1701 Woodroffe Avenue
• Greenboro Library – 363 Lorry Greenberg Drive
• Earl Armstrong Arena – 2020 Ogilvie Road
• Dr John Hopps Park – 300 Den Haag Drive
• Sunnyside Library – 1049 Bank Street
• Jim Durrell Recreation Complex – 1265 Walkley Road
• Osgoode Community Centre and Stuart Holmes Arena – 5660 Osgoode Main Street
• Manotick Library – 5499 South River Drive
• Fred Barrett Arena – 3280 Leitrim Road
• Hazeldean Library – 50 Castlefrank Road
• Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre – 3320 Paul Anka Drive
• Sandy Hill Arena – 60 Mann Avenue
• Ruth E. Dickinson Library – 100 Malvern Drive
• Tony Graham Recreation Complex – 100 Charlie Rogers Place
• Minto Recreation Complex – 3500 Cambrian Road
• Ray Friel Recreation Complex – 1585 Tenth Line Road
• Tom Brown Arena – 141 Bayview Station Road
• Strathcona Park – 25 Range Road
• Jules Morin Park – 400 Clarence Street
• Centrepointe Park – 260 Centrepointe Drive

Here is a look at the City of Ottawa’s road-priority system to clear snow during a storm:

Gravel warns the city will not be meeting “our winter maintenance timeline objectives” due to the snow, and “clearing and treating options will take longer than usual.”

“Please be patient, as it will take time to get through the transportation network, but rest assured, they will be hard at work.”

Start of accumulation

• Highway 174, the Transitway, major roads and arterials.
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 2 to 4 hours to complete, according to the city.

At 2.5 cm accumulation

• Sidewalks in the downtown core and the winter cycling network
• The city says after the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 4 hours to complete

At 5 cm accumulation

• Secondary roads and minor collectors such as Wall Road, Dovercourt Avenue, Donald Street, Springbrook Drive, etc.
• The city says after the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 6 hours to complete

Sidewalks

• The city says at 5 cm accumulation, residential sidewalks will be cleared
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 12 to 16 hours to complete, according to the city.

At 7 cm accumulation

• Residential roads and lanes such as Billings Bridge, Waverley Street, Smith Road, etc.
• The city says it may take 10 to 16 hours to complete clearing residential roads following the end of the storm.

(Source: City of Ottawa website)