Family members have confirmed the identity of a man who died Wednesday after his vehicle left the Highway 416 overpass and crashed onto Highway 417 below.

Derek Gregan was behind the wheel of a black four-door sedan, heading north on Highway 416 during the morning rush hour when his car left the road, struck a side wall, and plunged onto the eastbound lanes of the Queensway near the Holly Acres Road exit.

Ottawa paramedics found one person in the vehicle who was declared dead at the scene.

Ontario Provincial Police later identified the driver as a 46-year-old from Ottawa, but did not release his name.

No one else was hurt in the collision.

Family members identified Derek Gregan of Ottawa as the driver who died on Jan. 6, 2016 after his car plunged from a Hwy. 416 overpass onto Hwy. 417 below. (LinkedIn)

Gregan was a father of two teenage daughters, said his cousin, James Murphy.

"This is a heartbreaker for the family. It's a huge loss for [his] parents, too, as well."

After the crash, a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson told CBC News in an email that while the road had been salted and plowed before the crash, the contractor "had not yet fully completed snow removal work" on the overpass's shoulder.

Snow supposed to be cleared within 4 hours

The snow was left over from Ottawa's record-breaking storm on Dec. 29, when at least 26 centimetres of snow fell on the city.

Contractors are expected to to begin clearing snow away from highway guardrails and barrier walls "within four hours after the winter event has ended and after plowing and salting operations have been completed," the MTO added on Wednesday.

However, because of the sheer amount of snowfall on the 29th — combined with further snowfall in the following days — crews had to focus on plowing and salting highways and ramps instead, the MTO said.

Crews were out on Highway 416 removing snow from the shoulder Thursday.

The official cause of the crash has not been released, and the OPP continue to investigate.