And that pile of snow is going ... when?

Fredericton snow-removal crews will target dangerous snowbanks in the city, especially at intersections, says Mayor Mike O'Brien.

But residents will just have to be careful with massive snowbanks elsewhere in the city, perhaps for up to six weeks.

O'Brien said Tuesday that crews would be busy overnight, clearing out the downtown to give drivers more room and visibility and to make businesses more accessible.

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Over the next two to three days, he said, crews will also tackle high-traffic intersectionswhere visibility is poor.

Plows will try to break down snowbanks that are making driving dangerous, he said, but they can't get to them all.

"Some of those intersections around town are going to be that way for the rest of the winter," he said. "Not the dangerous ones but there's justno way we would get to every one of them. It's not possible."

In the meantime, he said, drivers should use caution as they edge out of their driveways over the next four to six weeks.

Every street affected

Monday's blizzard, which brought more than 75 centimetres of snow to the capital, affected every street in Fredericton, O'Brien said.

There were about 14 accidents during the storm, mostly involving stranded cars being hit by other vehicles, or motor vehicles sliding into snowbanks.

O'Brien said the city tried to prepare for the storm well in advance, taking steps such as ensuring snow removal equipment was ready to go.

Cars are going to have to share the street with some pedestrians.- Mike O'Brien, Fredericton mayor

"When weather changes you have to adapt," he said. "It was a monster of a storm."

The mayor applauded crews who stayed out to clear the main streets, and as many other streets as they could, throughout the storm.

"Streets are starting to get a little bit narrower, because there's no place to put the snow," he said.

"We can handle snow. It's when there's ice and rain and slush and freeze and thaw that's just extraordinary."

Sidewalks not cleared

As for the 210 kilometres of sidewalks in Fredericton, they willbe a challenge to pedestrians for a little longer.

Typically after a storm, sidewalks are cleared within 48 hours. But because ofthe severity of the blizzard this week, the public will have to wait longer.

"Today, operators don't even know where the sidewalks are," O'Brien said.

"People are going to have to be patient. Cars are going to have to share the street with some pedestrians."

Despite the major storm,the costs in overtime for crews and the wear on equipment, O'Brien said there will beno changes to the city's snow removal budget, which started in January.

"Right now it's not an issue," he said. "We have the rest of this winter and the winter season of late 2017 to be able to catch up."