Snow banks of a foot or more line sidewalks throughout the Boston area, forcing more pedestrians to walk in the street. (Flickr)
Students in Boston and Somerville are headed back to school Wednesday, after three snow days caused by last weekend’s blizzard.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino lifted the city’s parking ban Tuesday evening. Temporary “No Parking” signs remain posted in some areas as plows continue to scrape away large snow banks. Residents have until Thursday at 6 p.m. to move items being used to save parking spaces on city streets.
In a statement, the mayor warned drivers to look out for pedestrians walking in the street because of blocked sidewalks. City regulations require propertyowners to clear a path at least 42 inches wide within three hours of a storm ending. The Boston Globe says more than $25,000 in fines have been issued in Boston since the storm, along with 6,900 parking tickets. Nearly 700 cars have been towed.
The state Department of Transportation has lifted a ban on driving in the breakdown lanes on Interstate 95 and Route 3 during peak hours. Crews are periodically closing ramps on several highways as they work to clear snow.
As of Wednesday morning, NSTAR reports just over 5,000 customers remain without power, mostly on the South Shore and Cape Cod. National Grid has fewer than 1,000 customers in the dark. At the height of the storm, about 400,000 Massachusetts customers lost power.
Just as the area is getting back to normal, more snow is forecast for the Boston area. The National Weather Service expects a dusting to a few inches to fall after midnight, mostly on the south coast.Another1-2 inches is forecast for inland New England on Friday night.
