Friday, January 30, 2009

Merv Hardie ferry closes for the season / Merritt Street car vs. ambulance


Merv Hardie closes - from Northern New Services files

The Merv Hardie Ferry, which crosses the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence, is done for the season now that the ice bridge is open to heavy traffic.

"The Merv Hardie Ferry has ceased operations for the season and it's expected to being in operation in mid-May," said Earl Blacklock, manager of communications with the Department of Transportation.

- Herb Mathisen

http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/roadreportsHistory/RoadReportsHTMLViewer.aspx?SectionId=63

Call toll free 1 800 661 0750 for the latest information
Mackenzie River Crossing 
Km 25 Yellowknife Hwy (NWT 3) 
Fort Providence, NWT
Ice RoadFerry
Light Traffic <>> 60 Tonne 
Capacity
ClosedFirst TripLast Trip 
2007 / 2008Dec 16/07N/AApr 14/08N/AN/A
2006 / 2007Dec 08/06Jan 22/07Apr 13/07May 12/06Jan 22/07
2005 / 2006Jan 17/06Feb 03/06Apr 18/06May 12/05Feb 03/06
EarliestNov 28/90Jan 06/05Apr 12/96May 06/93Dec 27/86
LatestJan 24/02Feb 16/88May 05/66May 31/62Feb 10/88
Last 5 years avg.Dec 23Jan 22Apr 16May 16Jan 22
Last 10 years avg.Dec 29Jan 20Apr 18May 14Jan 20
Last 15 years avg.Dec 24Jan 19Apr 19May 14Jan 18
Last 20 years avg.Dec 21Jan 20Apr 18May 13Jan 18
Last 25 years avg.Dec 19N/AApr 18May 14N/A
Last 30 years avg.Dec 18N/AApr 18May 14N/A
Last 35 years avg.Dec 17N/AApr 19May 14N/A
Last 40 years avg.N/AN/AApr 19May 16N/A
Last 45 years avg.N/AN/AN/AMay 16May 16

 


Another Crash on Merrit Street

When is Thorold and the Region going to recognize that there is a need for a median on Merrit Street. I can think of about three serious/fatal collisions on that hill in the last two years. If I can do it don't you think that the roads department should recognize it too. That is the problem with our govenments, sometimes they get so intune with repair schedules and industry reccomendations that they overlook simple math that sometimes collisions occur in areas more than others. I was happy to read that the OPP recognized the QEW between Mountian Road and Glendale was an area of concern and they have been able through patrols and highway speed management as well as widening the highway there from 4 NARROW lanes to six wide lanes to reduce fatalities. Here is the story of how a car slid across Merrit Street and hit an ambulance. I hope that the police will look into the reports that the roads were icy and that the roads departments can look at whether or not salting/sanding this hill could have prevented the collision. I wish everyone involved in this situation a speedy recovery. 

Relief from ambulance's arrival turns into concern when it collides with car

Posted By By TIFFANY MAYER St.Catharines Standard

Posted 2 hours ago
Lyle Satchell choked on the words. “I was just totally upset. My kids were freaking out,” the St. Catharines man mustered.

Friday afternoon, Satchell relived how he felt when an ambulance carrying his wife, Anita, 49, collided with a car on Merritt Road a day earlier, just metres from the Satchells’ Ball Avenue home.

With lights and sirens blaring, the ambulance was rushing Anita to St. Catharines General Hospital just before 5 p.m. for what Satchell believed was a heart attack, when the driver of an Oldsmobile heading south on Merritt Road lost control and slid across the centre line into the northbound ambulance’s path.

Despite being strapped to a gurney, Satchell said his wife flew forward just as the paramedic by her side was trying to insert an intravenous needle into her arm. Anita then fell to the floor, hitting her face and side.Satchell was just getting into his car to follow the ambulance when a neighbour came over to tell him about the collision. “By the time I could get into the car, the police already had the road blocked off,” Satchell said. “There were sirens going like crazy. I couldn’t get down the hill to get any kind of sense of things.”

The 88-year-old Thorold woman driving the Oldsmobile is in critical condition in a Hamilton hospital after being extricated from her car. Anita is recovering from what turned out to be an angina attack. She also has hearing trouble and vision problems plaguing her since the crash. “She’s in a lot of pain,” Satchell said.

The ambulance driver was uninjured but the paramedic attending to Anita sustained some injuries. Merritt Street resident Kevin Bergman, who helped direct traffic around the accident scene Thursday, said the road, which hikes up the escarpment, is treacherous in winter. “People just don’t slow down on the hill, and being icy, it just creates more of a problem,” Bergman said.Niagara Regional Police are still investigating the crash. Any witnesses are asked to call the collision reconstruction unit at 905-688-4111, ext. 5500.

Picture from Panoramio - Ball Avenue near Merritt Street

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/14204161.jpg


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