First snowfall in Halifax causes commuter chaos

The Macdonald Bridge in Halifax was fully closed to traffic Tuesday afternoon as police responded to a multiple-vehicle collision.

Multiple-vehicle collision closes Macdonald Bridge, Halifax Transit routes delayed

CBC News · Posted: Nov 03, 2020 4:54 PM EST | Last Updated: November 3, 2020

This picture shows heavy traffic and snowy roads. — The first snowfall of the season in early November of 2020 led to heavy congestion, delayed transit, and a bridge closure in Halifax. (Olivier Lefebvre/Radio-Canada)

The first snowfall of the year happens, well, every year.

But even though it's inevitable, many drivers are still caught off guard.

There were several multiple-vehicle collisions across Halifax on Tuesday afternoon as motorists manoeuvred slick roads, including one that had the Macdonald Bridge closed in both directions.

Traffic Advisory: The Macdonald bridge is closed in both directions at this time due to a motor vehicle collision. Please use an alternate route to avoid delays.
—@HfxRegPolice

Halifax Regional Police tweeted they were on scene of a multiple-vehicle collision on the bridge at 3:30 p.m., but no one was injured. The bridge reopened just before 6 p.m. with heavy traffic in both directions.

The MacKay Bridge was also temporarily closed after an 18-wheeler became stuck. The truck eventually made its way off the bridge, allowing traffic to flow again in both directions, according to Halifax Harbour Bridges.

⚠️UPDATE 5:08 p.m.: Approximately 55% of our fleet is now running 20 minutes late or later due to road conditions and MVAs throughout the city.
—@hfxtransit

Halifax Transit, meanwhile, put their buses on snow plans. Transit users were encouraged to check ahead to find out whether their route was on detour. More than half of the fleet was running at least 20 minutes late in the evening.

On Twitter, people living in HRM shared photos of other multiple-vehicle collisions happening outside their windows.