CALGARY -- As Calgary braces for upward of 20 centimetres of snow over the next two days, the City of Calgary Roads department says it's prepared to keep streets cleared.
"We're in for a little bit of winter weather here, holiday weather," said Chris McGeachy, City of Calgary Roads spokesperson. "We just want to remind people that there is a big snowfall coming. Our crews are prepared. They're preparing their equipment right now. They'll be applying anti-icing material.
"We've also called in our additional contracted graders. We're going to have graders out there through the evening because we do expect a large volume of snow in a short period of time."
McGeachy encourages drivers to leave plenty of space when encountering road crews and to take steps to ensure motorists make it safely to their destination.
"With everything going down with the lockdown and, obviously, it's the holiday season, we don't expect as much volume on the roads but people do still have places to go," said McGeachy. "Be careful out there. Take plenty of time. Make sure your vehicle is winterized. Carry a shovel in your car."
Crews will focus their efforts on priority routes and known problem areas including hills and bridge decks.
According to McGeachy, the city's annual snow removal budget is approximately $40 million and there is roughly $5 million remaining for the final days of 2020. The typical clearing effort following a snowstorm exhausts between $1 million and $1.5 million.
As of Monday afternoon, the city does not anticipate the need for issuing a snow route parking ban based on the forecasted snowfall.
