Bowen Rd., one of the City's priority one routes, was clear Wednesday morning with traffic proceeding just below normal speeds. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

CLEARING STREETS

Nanaimo snow crews aiming for ‘pretty significant’ progress Wednesday after favourable conditions overnight

Nov 30, 2022 | 11:01 AM

NANAIMO — Snow clearing efforts continue throughout much of the city following a sizeable winter blast.

Upwards of 20 centimetres of snow fell in many parts of the City of Nanaimo beginning mid-morning on Tuesday, Nov. 29. High winds and blowing snow made travel conditions extra tricky for afternoon and evening commuters.

David Thompson, City of Nanaimo manager of roads and traffic services, told NanaimoNewsNOW they were able to keep pace with the storm and made good progress after the flurries stopped flying overnight.

“Contrary to expectations or normal practice, it actually warmed up last night so we were able to get into priority two routes and get some of those opened up, the snow peeled up quite nicely and the salt was very effective at removing material.”

Brine and pre-treating which began over the weekend worked, according to Thompson, and allowed for an easier lift up of snow and ice from the plows.

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A snap freeze on Wednesday between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. took trucks back to the city’s main roads to ensure they remained safe to travel on.

Ice lined many parking lots, including at Beban Park, with crews clearing snow but overnight melt was caught by an early-morning freeze. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Crews continue working Wednesday and are trying to clear as much of the remaining accumulation as possible.

“We’ve moved off our priority one routes and we’re onto the priority two’s and three’s. We’ve got pretty good coverage throughout the City so definitely looking to get some pretty significant work done throughout the course of the day then running another full shift tonight.”

Priority one routes include roads used for emergency services, including access to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, and other major streets through Nanaimo.

Secondary roads in residential areas are considered priority two, while residential cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets are typically the last to be cleared.

“Our team is going to have to evaluate those on a case-by-case basis, make sure it’s appropriate for us to go in and we’re not going to get our plows stuck and get rescued, that doesn’t help anyone out,” Thompson added.

He also said there were a large number of abandoned vehicles across the city Tuesday night.

In addition to current clearing efforts, attention turns to the forecast which could bring further complications.

“Looking at the forecast tonight we’re back to freezing temperatures and more snow so there’s a significant risk of all that snow that’s melting today, freezing overnight.”

He said both the City crews and area residents are advised to ensure nearby drains and catch basins are clear to allow melting snow to clear from the road.

DriveBC highway cameras show a mixture of conditions, including some snow melt on road surfaces in downtown Nanaimo and near Woodgrove Centre. (DriveBC)

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley