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Winter storm "troublesome" for works crews

Snow, ice and wind made the winter storm which hit North Bay “troublesome” for city works crews, said director of public works Brian Baker. “We’re not into full winter operation yet, and we’re short a few people,” Baker said.





















Snow, ice and wind made the winter storm which hit North Bay “troublesome” for city works crews, said director of public works Brian Baker.

“We’re not into full winter operation yet, and we’re short a few people,” Baker said.

The timing of the storm was also a problem, Baker said, since it arrived around 7 a.m. Tuesday, just as the rush hour was beginning.

“Snow that fell turned to ice and when we started to salt, the wind would just blow snow over the salt, so there wasn’t much use to that,” Baker said, “so we had to get into ploughing.”

Record broken
A daily snowfall record for Nov. 4 was set as a result of the storm, said Mike Warren, station manager of the weather observing station at Jack Garland Airport.

“We had 13 centimetres of snow which broke the record of 8.1 cm set on this day in 1956,” Warren said.

Rain and warmer weather is forecast for Wednesday, which could help clean-up efforts, Baker said.

“But if we get freezing rain then that could be a disaster.”

Roads temporarily closed
City police reported at least a dozen accidents in North Bay Tuesday, and business at the traffic collision reporting centre in police headquarters was brisk.

Police had to close College Drive at one point because ice made it difficult to drive up, backing traffic up as far as McKeown and Algonquin.

Thibeault Hill was also closed temporarily closed to traffic.

Baker said traffic on O’Brien was also backed up because of poor driving conditions.

“That was the longest line of traffic I’ve ever seen on O’Brien,” Baker said, “and when I saw that I knew it was going to be one of those days.”