PUSHING THROUGH
City races against dropping temperatures to get rid of the slush before it all freezes
Paramedics fight with snow as they load an elderly “COVID-19 suspect” case into an ambulance on Saturday. The weekend snowstorm dropped nearly 25 centimetres of wet snow on the city and it will take until Thursday to clear it all,
“It's a race against the clock” to remove much of this weekend's snowfall before lower temperatures turn it to ice, a spokesperson for the city of Montreal said Sunday.
City crews began snow-removal operations Sunday at 7 a.m. and expect to complete the job by Thursday night, said Philippe Sabourin.
A total of 3,000 workers — half city blue-collar workers and half independent contractors — and 2,200 vehicles have been mobilized to clear the nearly 25 centimetres of snow that fell, he said.
With temperatures hovering around and just above zero on the weekend, the snow is slushy and heavy, Sabourin noted. Temperatures are expected to drop to -13C on Monday night and -18C on Wednesday night, which means that what remains could turn to solid ice.
Crews are also being deployed to spread abrasives on sidewalks and plow side streets, he said.
Temperatures will drop Monday, with an expected high of -5Ce, going down to a high of -10C on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.
The city has relaxed parking regulations to make it possible for people to move their cars before the 8 p.m. curfew, Sabourin said.
Parking lots in parks, like the ones on Mount Royal, will be free from 3 p.m. onward instead of the usual 9 p.m., he said. Meter parking will be free from 7:30 p.m. instead of from the usual 9 p.m.
On streets where snow removal is scheduled for the following day, starting at 7 a.m., no-parking signs for snow removal will be erected by 7 p.m. the previous night instead of by 8 p.m., he said.
Snow-removal crews have also been instructed to retrieve no-parking signs as soon as they have cleared the snow so that people can park there again, he said.
For information on snow removal, consult the city's website.
There was a 15-per-cent decrease in the number of cars that were towed during the first snow-removal operation of the season, and Sabourin said he's hopeful the trend will continue with the current operation.
He predicted that half of the job will have been completed by Tuesday evening.
The heavy, wet snow has also caused a lot of tree branches to fall, especially in older neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-royal, he said.
If you see a fallen tree branch, do not try to move it yourself, but call 311 so the city can remove it, he said.