New Bedford Prepares for Blizzard
• Emergency parking ban effective at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28
• Significant power outages expected, travel very difficult Saturday
• COVID-19 vaccine clinics canceled Saturday, Sunday
New Bedford, Massachusetts – City officials are preparing for a potentially weekend-long storm response, with heavy snow and gusting winds forecast in the area from late Friday through Saturday night. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for the region, including New Bedford, in effect from 12 a.m. Saturday to 12 a.m. Sunday. The NWS is forecasting 17 to 22 inches of snow in the area, with winds of up to 60 mph. Storm conditions are expected to make travel very difficult Saturday—the NWS recommends emergency travel only—and through the weekend.
Mayor Declares a State of Emergency to Facilitate Response Resources
Mayor Jon Mitchell has declared a State of Emergency for the city, effective at midnight tonight, to facilitate the city’s response to the storm.
Significant Power Outages Expected
Eversource is preparing for significant storm damage and power outages in the region. Please avoid downed power lines and have emergency storm supplies on hand. Power outages can sometimes interrupt public water supply systems or disable well pumps. Please store bottled drinking water and canned food in the event of an extended outage.
Citywide Snow Emergency Parking Ban Effective at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28
New Bedford’s citywide snow emergency parking ban takes effect at 8 p.m. tonight.
The parking ban will be strictly enforced and will remain in effect until further notice. The parking ban is designed to allow City workers to efficiently remove snow from New Bedford roadways, and enable 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. Parking also 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 that normally allow 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.
Double-sided Parking Ban Areas
To increase public safety during storm events, the areas designated for a double-sided parking ban include sections of numerous streets (listed below), in addition to the Downtown and Acushnet Avenue Business Districts, where double-sided bans have been implemented in years past. The 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, therefore, no parking is permitted on either side of the street in the following areas:
• Wood St (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Acushnet Ave (Tarkiln Hill Rd to Coggeshall St)
• Nash Rd (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Ashley Blvd (Nash Rd to Coggeshall St)
• County St (Purchase St to Cove Rd)
• Cottage St (Durfee St to Union St)
• Mill St (Kempton St to Pleasant St)
• Kempton St (Brownell Ave to Pleasant St)
• The Downtown Business District (County St to JFK Blvd, Kempton St to Walnut St)
• Dartmouth St (Allen St to Matthew St)
• Rivet St (Dartmouth St to JFK Blvd)
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.
Preferred Off-Street Parking Areas
The City of New Bedford has designated the following areas as preferred parking areas for residents in need of off-street parking during the emergency snow parking ban:
• 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
Libraries, City Recreation Programs, Buttonwood Park Zoo Closed Saturday, Jan. 29
City Hall, city offices and recreation programs, public libraries, and Buttonwood Park Zoo will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 29, due to the storm. Senior centers are closed due to the pandemic.
New Bedford Regional Airport Closed Saturday, Through Sunday Morning
New Bedford Regional Airport will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 29, and potentially reopen on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 30, as conditions permit. Passengers should contact their air carriers directly to confirm their flight status because widespread cancellations are expected.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics Canceled on Saturday, Sunday
The COVID-19 vaccine clinic provided by Seven Hills Behavioral Health at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center at 181 Hillman St. has been canceled for Saturday.
The clinic at the Workers Community Center / Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, 1534 Acushnet Ave., has been canceled for Sunday, Jan. 30. The clinic will take place the following Sunday, Feb. 6.
Hurricane Barrier to Remain Open
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hurricane barrier will remain open during the storm. It may be manned at Saturday evening’s high tide but a planned closure -- due to forecasted wind direction, tide height and surge – is not expected at this time.
SRTA Buses, Transit Services Not Operating Saturday or Sunday
Buses and transit services provided by the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority will not be operating Saturday, due to the storm. SRTA’s temporary suspension of demand response services on Sundays already was scheduled to begin this weekend, due to staffing shortages.
Winter Weather Preparedness Tips for Residents and Business Owners
Residents and business owners are advised to review the Winter Weather Tips available on the City website http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/emergency-management/winter-storms/ and to take proactive steps to prepare for the major winter storm.
Important Emergency Contact Numbers
• To report a downed power line, medical, fire or other emergencies please dial 911.
• Eversource is prepared to address and damage and outages resulting from the storm and encourages customers whose electric service is affected to call 1-800-592-2000.
• Eversource strongly urges people to stay away from all down wires and to report them immediately.
• To report snow removal issues on city streets, residents may contact the Department of Public Infrastructure at (508) 991-6150
• New Bedford Police Department may also be reached on its Non-emergency line at (508) 991-6350
• Please visit the City’s website at www.newbedford-ma.gov for more information and updates from the City of New Bedford regarding the snowstorm.
