Calgary road crews prepare for blast of winter weather overnight

The City of Calgary says road crews are preparing for a drastic drop in temperature overnight by applying anti-icing agents.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Calgary warning that strong winds, blowing snow and a steep decline in temperature are expected across southern Alberta on Monday night.

Though the national weather agency only expects two to four centimetres of snow to fall in Calgary, it is forecasting wind gusts up to 70 km/h and an overnight low that will feel like -23 with wind chill.

The wallop of winter weather is on the City of Calgary's radar, with roads spokesperson Chris McGeachy saying crews are applying salt to intersections, hills, cycle tracks and bridge decks where ice can easily build up.

"We’d like to remind motorists to prepare (especially for the morning commute) by ensuring their vehicles are clear of snow and leaving plenty of time to get to their destination," McGeachy said in a Monday update.

The city follows a seven-day snow clearing plan, which is activated as soon as snow stops. 

First, crews take on Priority 1 routes, which include roads with more than 20,000 vehicles per day, as well as downtown cycle tracks. (Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail are maintained by the provincial government.)

Crews then focus on Priority 2 routes — roads that carry 5,000 to 19,999 vehicles a day — like Kensington Road and Acadia Drive, as well as designated emergency routes around hospitals and fire stations, bus routes and roads with on-street bike lanes.

After that, crews turn to clearing Priority 3 to Priority 4 routes, which include residential areas and school and playground zones.

The city's annual snow and ice clearing budget is $40.7 million.