traffic

Detours in downtown St. John’s change yet again

Construction has once again caused a couple more changes to the way drivers commute through downtown St. John’s.

For the past few weeks underground infrastructure installation has caused detours on Water Street where it meets Waldegrave Street and Harbour Drive. As of Tuesday morning traffic was permitted to once again flow in all directions through the area, albeit with reduced lanes and occasional stoppages. The road will remain gravel in the area until asphalt becomes available toward the end of May.

Meanwhile, it’s anticipated a road closure at the other end of Harbour Drive will snarl traffic until the end of June.

Prescott Street will be closed between Duckworth Street and Water Street. Job’s Cove will also be closed, however traffic traveling eastbound on Harbour Drive will be permitted to turn onto Water Street continuing eastbound. Traffic on Water Street will be permitted to continue straight through the intersection. Some minor delays are anticipated during the time of construction.

Temporary Metrobus stops and routes will remain until further notice.

Collision in east end sends two to hospital

A collision involving two vehicles, and damaging a third, sent two people to hospital on Sunday evening.

Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Torbay Road and Newfoundland Drive at about 5:30 p.m., following the crash. Two vehicles had collided in the intersection, causing one of them to carom into a third car that was stopped at a red light.

Paramedics assisted the two occupants of one of the cars to a waiting ambulance. They were taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be serious. The driver of the second vehicle was assessed at the scene. The two occupants of the third vehicle involved were uninjured. While two of the cars sustained significant damage, the third was driven from the scene.

Traffic in the area was slowed for some time until the scene could be cleared.

Single-vehicle crash sends two people to hospital

Two people were taken to hospital Monday evening following a dramatic single-vehicle crash on Pitts Memorial Drive.

The incident happened shortly after 8:30 p.m., when the driver of an eastbound car lost control of the vehicle. The car left the road, entered the snow on the shoulder of the road, and traveled along a guardrail. The vehicle then struck the concrete end of the bridge over Richard Nolan Drive before coming to rest on the overpass.

The force of the collision sent debris flying across the road, some of which came to rest in the opposing lanes of the highway. Both east- and west-bound lanes of the highway were closed for some time, the former was closed for close to an hour until the scene could be cleared.

Both occupants of the car were taken to hospital with injuries not believed at the time to be serious in nature.

Dump truck overturns in late-night crash

The driver of a dump truck was taken to hospital with unknown injuries after the dump truck they were driving overturned in the east end of St. John’s on Saturday night.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. at the end of Sugarloaf Road, near East White Hills Road. Reports from the scene state the driver of the privately-owned truck was traveling with the dump left in an upright position when it snagged some overhead wires. The truck overturned into a snowbank on the side of the road, narrowly missing a utility pole.

The driver was assessed by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be serious in nature. The crash forced a closure of Sugarloaf Road until the downed wire could be secured, and the dump truck placed back on its wheels to be removed from the scene.

Narrowed roadway causes downtown traffic jam

A recent snowstorm may have ended on Wednesday evening, however forty-eight hours later its remnants caused a traffic headache on one of downtown’s busiest roads.

Reports of the traffic nightmare started appearing on social media early Friday evening, as downtown businesses filled with patrons. Snowbanks encroached on many parking spaces along the west end of Duckworth Street, and parked vehicles lined both sides of the street. The result was a single lane of road on which traffic could flow.

At times traffic was backed-up from McBride’s Hill to New Gower Street, with neither direction able to gain any ground. On at least one occasion passengers of several vehicles could be seen walking down the line of cars to explain to other drivers what was happening. Some drivers were forced to reverse their vehicles a significant distance to free the traffic jam. Other drivers tried using their horn to free up space.

Many pedestrians, who were able to walk freely along both sidewalks, stopped to marvel at the inconvenience and offer commentary on its cause. The City of St. John’s had removed snow from a length of Duckworth Street, east of Prescott Street, the previous night. No snow removal operations were scheduled for Friday night.

RNC receiving more complaints about traffic safety around school buses

The RNC says there’s been an increase in reported violations of drivers passing school busses when they’re stopped.

Police say they’ve received an increase in complaints regarding traffic safety around school buses, especially on on multi-lane roads.

Two sent to hospital following night-time collisions

Two people were taken to hospital following two separate incidents on the roads in St. John’s on Saturday night.

At about 10:30 p.m. emergency crews responded to a collision on Elizabeth Avenue at Paton Street. The driver of an eastbound vehicle struck a pedestrian who was crossing the road near the intersection. The pedestrian was taken to hospital with injuries that were described as non life-threatening. The force of the collision caused damage to the front end of the car and to its windshield.

Around midnight crews were summoned to the Outer Ring Road following a single-vehicle crash. The driver of an eastbound vehicle lost control of their car near the Aberdeen Avenue exit. The car entered the ditch and struck a mound of rocks, causing significant damage to the vehicle. The driver was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be serious. Roads were wet in heavy wind and rain at the time of the crash.

Paradise collision snaps utility pole, sends two to hospital

(Earl Noble / NTV News)

Two people were taken to hospital on Saturday afternoon following a collision in Paradise that snapped a utility pole.

Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Paradise Road and Stormont Street shortly after 1 p.m. following reports of a two-vehicle collision. When personnel arrived they found two vehicles with significant damage. The collision between the two cars caused one of them to crash into a nearby utility pole, which cracked the pole in two places. Crews were forced to close the road in the area, as the pole was partially suspended by high voltage lines.

(Earl Noble / NTV News)

Paramedics took the drivers of both vehicles to hospital. The nature of their injuries was unknown at the time.

Paradise Road was closed into the evening as crews with Newfoundland Power worked to replace the broken pole.

(Earl Noble / NTV News)
(Earl Noble / NTV News)

No serious injuries following two separate rollovers

The scene of a single-vehicle crash on Waterford Bridge Road. (Earl Noble / NTV News)

Emergency crews were kept busy early Tuesday morning following two separate single-vehicle crashes in St. John’s.

Shortly after 4:00 a.m. personnel were called to the eastbound lanes of Pitts Memorial Drive, between Kilbride and New Gower Street. The driver of a sedan had lost control of the vehicle, crashing into the ditch. The heavily-damaged car came to a rest on its side. The driver of the car was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be serious.

The scene of a single-vehicle crash on Pitts Memorial Drive. (Earl Noble / NTV News)

Roughly fifteen minutes later, crews responded to a second crash on Waterford Bridge Road, near Nottingham Drive. The driver of an eastbound vehicle had lost control, crashing into a fence and trees, narrowly missing a utility pole. The two occupants of that car were outside the vehicle when personnel arrived. Both were assessed by paramedics, however neither were taken to hospital.

The vehicle involved in that crash also suffered significant damage.

The scene of a single-vehicle crash on Waterford Bridge Road. (Earl Noble / NTV News)
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The battery of a vehicle involved in a crash on Waterford Bridge Rd is disconnected. (Earl Noble / NTV News)
The scene of a single-vehicle crash on Waterford Bridge Road. (Earl Noble / NTV News)
The scene of a single-vehicle crash on Waterford Bridge Road. (Earl Noble / NTV News)
A firefighter and police officer tend to the driver of a single-vehicle crash on Pitts Memorial Drive. (Earl Noble / NTV News)
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