NEW BEDFORD — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Southeastern Massachusetts including Bristol County and New Bedford in effect from 1:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. The National Weather Service predicts heavy wet snow, and total accumulations of 4 to 7 inches. Snow is expected to begin late Friday night, with the heaviest snowfall and reduced visibility on Saturday morning. Storm conditions are expected to occur late tonight into the morning making travel difficult during the morning commute, with slippery road conditions.

The Buttonwood Park Zoo will close on Saturday, March 2. New Bedford public libraries will close on Saturday, March 2. The Andrea McCoy Recreation Center will also be closed on Saturday. City offices are closed for the weekend.

The senior dance at Fort Taber scheduled for Sunday, March 3 has been cancelled.

The New Bedford Regional Airport will remain in operation, but passengers are advised to check the status of their flights as cancellations are expected.

Citywide Snow Emergency Parking Ban Effective at 2:00 a.m. Saturday, March 2

In preparation for the approaching snowstorm, the City of New Bedford has announced a citywide snow emergency parking ban to take effect at 2:00 a.m. Saturday. The parking ban will be strictly enforced and will remain in effect for 48-hours thereafter, unless lifted or further extended by City officials. The parking ban is designed to allow City workers to efficiently remove snow from New Bedford roadways to permit public safety vehicles and residents to travel safely.

While the snow emergency parking ban is in effect, parking is permitted on the north side of all streets going east and west, and is permitted on the east side of all streets going north and south. The permitted side of the street is typically the side opposite of the fire hydrants.

Please note that on streets which are normally posted for parking on one side of the street only, residents are to obey the signs as usual.

Vehicles should never be parked within ten (10) feet of a fire hydrant or twenty (20) feet from a corner as required by law, regardless of whether a snow ban is in effect, or not.

Double-sided Parking Ban Areas
To increase public safety during storm events, two years ago the areas designated for a double-sided parking ban were expanded to include sections of five new streets (listed below), in addition to the Downtown and Acushnet Avenue Business Districts where a double-sided ban has been in place in years past.

The new street sections were selected because they are major routes for ambulances, school buses, and SRTA buses, and have a history of large vehicles being unable to successfully navigate due to the narrowness of the street.

During a snow emergency parking ban, no parking is therefore permitted on either side of the street in the following areas:

Downtown Business District: Downtown New Bedford between Walnut Street northerly to the Octopus and County Street easterly to JFK Boulevard
Acushnet Avenue Business District: Acushnet Avenue, Coggeshall Street to Tarkiln Hill Road
Ashley Boulevard (from Nash Road to Coggeshall Street)
County Street (from Union Street to Sawyer Street)
Kempton Street (from Rockdale Avenue to Pleasant Street)
Mill Street (from Rockdale Avenue to Pleasant Street)
Cottage Street (Union Street to Durfee Street)
Map and information on parking bans are available at: http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/traffic/snow-bans/

Violations of the snow emergency parking ban will be subject to ticketing at $50 per ticket and towing at full cost to the owner of the vehicle towed. The vehicle owner is also responsible for the full cost of storage for any towed vehicle.

The City of New Bedford has designated the following areas as preferred parking areas for those residents in need of off-street parking while the emergency snow parking ban is in effect:

· Victory Park – Brock Avenue

· Hazelwood Park – Brock Avenue

· Cove Street Parking Lot – Cove Street and Morton Court

· Orchard Street at Camara Soccer Field

· Buttonwood Park Parking Area – Hawthorn Street Side and Lake Street Side

· Coggeshall Street Parking Lot – Coggeshall Street and Acushnet Avenue

· Sawyer Street Parking Lot – Between Sawyer Street and Beetle Street

· Brooklawn Park Parking Area – Brooklawn Street (South Side)

· Riverside Park Lot – Coffin Avenue

· Coffin Avenue Lot- Across from Taber Mills Apartments

· Former AVX site on Belleville Avenue at Hadley Street

· Former Philips Avenue School – 249 Phillips Avenue

· Elm Street Garage

· Zeiterion Garage – 688 Purchase Street

· New Bedford High School – 230 Hathaway Boulevard

· Keith Middle School – 225 Hathaway Boulevard

· Normandin Middle School – 81 Felton Street

· Roosevelt Middle School – 119 Fredrick Street

· Charles S Ashley Elementary School – 122 Rochambeau Street

· Elizabeth Carter Brooks Elementary School – 212 Nemasket Street

· Elwyn G Campbell Elementary School – 145 Essex Street

· Sgt Wm H Carney Academy Elementary School – 247 Elm Street

· Lot at intersection of Elm and Cottage (Southeast Corner)

· James B Congdon Elementary School – 50 Hemlock Street

· John B DeValles Elementary School – 120 Katherine Street

· Alfred J Gomes Elementary School – 286 South Second Street

· Ellen R Hathaway Elementary School – 256 Court Street

· Hayden/McFadden Elementary School – 361 Cedar Grove Street

· Horatio A Kempton Elementary School – 135 Shawmut Avenue

· Abraham Lincoln Elementary School – 445 Ashley Boulevard

· Carlos Pacheco Elementary School – 261 Mt. Pleasant Street

· John Avery Parker Elementary School – 705 County Street

· Casmir Pulaski Elementary School – 1097 Braley Road

· Thomas R Rodman Elementary School – 497 Mill Street

· William H Taylor Elementary School – 620 Brock Avenue

· SEA LAB/John Hannigan Elementary School – 91 Portland Street

· Jireh Swift Elementary School – 2203 Acushnet Avenue

· Betsey B Winslow Elementary School – 561 Allen Street
New Bedford Regional Airport

New Bedford Regional Airport will remain in operation. Passengers should contact their air carriers directly to confirm their flight status because some cancellations are expected.

Sand Available to City Residents at Various Locations
The Department of Public Infrastructure has made sand available to city residents at many locations throughout the city. Residents are advised to bring their own small container to collect the sand at any of the following locations:

Norfolk St & Acushnet Ave
Toby St & Acushnet Ave
Manila St & Acushnet Ave
Fire Station #5 –Acushnet Ave
Phillips Rd & Pine Hill Dr
Welby Rd, North Side, Between Two Buildings
Essex St & Phillips Rd, Campbell School
Saint Theresa’s Church – Acushnet Ave
Balls Corner, Mill Rd & Belleville Ave
Saint Mary’s School/Church –Illinois St
Tarkiln Hill Rd & Acushnet Ave
Police Station #3 – Ashley Blvd
Wilks Library –Acushnet Ave & Princeton St
Ashley Blvd & Princeton St
Belleville Rd & Hope St
Mount Pleasant St on Nash Rd Side (in place)
Fire Station –Davis St & Acushnet Ave
Deane St & Ashley Blvd
Bullard St & Acushnet Ave
Shawmut Diner, Between the Driveways
Acushnet Ave & Sawyer St
Sawyer St & Mount Pleasant St
Beetle St & North Front St
Beetle St & N. Front St
Coggeshall St & Ashley Blvd
Coggeshall & Purchase St
10 Kilburn St
Purchase St & Logan St
Rockdale Ave & Granit St
Linden St & County St, South Side of Linden St
Fire Station #7 –Durfee St & Cottage St
Durfee St & Shawmut Ave
Red Cross, Rockdale Ave & Durfee St
Purchase St & Wamsutta Ave
Sacred Heart Nursing Home, Studley St & Summer St, On West Side
Merrimac St & County St
1554 Purchase St, Fire Repair
Pleasant St & Pope St
Parker St & County St, East Side of County St
Parker St & Rockdale Ave
Pleasant St & Pearl St
Purchase St & Campbell St
Cottage St & Campbell St
Sycamore St & State St
County St & Sycamore St
Pleasant St, Rear Lot of Fire Prevention
Maxfield St & Pleasant St
E.M.T.S. Chancery St, Inside Parking Area
S.E.C. Summer St & Hillman St
Ash St & Hillman St
Fire Station #2 –Pleasant St
County St & North St
Pope’s Island Marina
Third District Court, North Side of Kempton St
Liberty St & Kempton St
Pleasant St & Middle St
South Sixth St & Middle St
County St & Middle St
Elm St Garage, On Acushnet Ave
Buttonwood Library
Pier 3 –Visitors Center
South Water & Hamilton St
William St & Acushnet Ave, Custom House Square
City Hall, Pleasant St Side
Centre St & Front St
Market St & Sixth St
Second St & Union St
Union St & Acushnet Ave
Purchase St & Union St
Eighth St and Union St
County St & Union St
Spring St & Pleasant St
Zeiterion Garage, Acushnet Ave Entrance
School St & Purchase St
School St & Sixth St
School St & County St
Walnut St & Acushnet Ave
Maple St & Atlantic St
Maple St & Reed St
Madison St & County St
Fire Museum, Bedford St & Sixth St
Page St & Bedford St
Wing St & Acushnet Ave
Wing St & County St
Fair St & County St
Fire Station #6, Purchase St
Thompson St & Crapo St
County St & Rivet St
Bonney St & Rivet St
Bolton St & Rivet St
Delano St & South First St
Jouvette St & Bonney St
Howland Green Library, Driveway, Rodney French Blvd
Rockdale Ave & Dartmouth St
Fire Station #11, Brock Ave & Mott St
Willard St & West Rodney French Blvd
Clegg Field, Brock Ave
Brock Ave & Portland St
Wastewater Treatment Plant, Community Center
South Rodney French Blvd, Cable Access Building

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