Back-to-back winter storms brought Toronto to a standstill over the weekend, and while they have passed, City officials say it could take weeks to dig out of the heavy snow.
At least 22 cm of snow was dumped on the city as of 4 p.m. on Sunday, bringing the total snowfall accumulation to 63 cm in a single week.
The City says multiple rounds of plowing are still needed. Officials say snow removal will begin over the coming days and could take up to three weeks to complete.
“We will be working continuously on this task, and we will try to get it done as quickly as we can,” Barbara Gray, general manager of transportation services for the City of Toronto said at a press conference on Monday.
Parking in the city continues to be prohibited on all designated snow routes, which include all streetcar routes.
“If there are streetcars on streetcar tracks, do not park on that street,” Gray said. “If you park on a snow route you can be fined and your car can be towed.”
“Please do not park in these locations,” she added. “It really hampers our ability to get the snow moved from the curb lanes.”
More than 2,300 tickets have been issued to those who have parked on snow routes and 27 vehicles have been towed in recent days, according to Toronto police.
Snow removal will begin with priority areas such as main streets, sidewalks, transit stops, hospitals and emergency stations. The City is also easing concerns over a salt shortage, saying that Toronto has enough road salt to get through the rest of winter.
IMPACT ON TRANSIT
TTC spokesperson Adrian Grundy says the winter storm cleaning is having an impact on transit.
“We had around 100 crews last night at track level across the subway system, literally digging ice out of the power rail to ensure that our subway system can continue to move,” Grundy told CityNews on Monday. “We do have a closure between Bloor-Yonge and Lawrence Station and that is due to a build up of ice at that power rail level.”
“We do currently have storm trains moving through there,” he added. “They are also spreading anti-icing fluid onto that third rail, and we hope to get service back and running there later today.”
Grundy says the transit commission has reinstated most of the 56 bus stops that were taken out of service on Saturday due to the storms.
“Recovery efforts are underway, and they are continuing quite well,” he added. “Our focus right now is getting those power rails cleaned of any ice, making sure that the subway system is moving as it should and also preparing for tomorrow.”
Grundy says the TTC is working to resume full service on Tuesday morning, before commuters head back to work after the Family Day holiday.
The replacement of a century-old water main and streetcar tracks at the foot of Bathurst Street will also force a diversion of two TTC streetcar routes for the next four months.
“We know it’s less convenient, but this work does need to be done,” Grundy explained. “This is all part of our state of good repair program to ensure that we have good service for the next decade.”