Snow-covered Calgary roads cause slow and slick Monday commute for drivers

Calgary drivers had a slow and slippery commute to and from work on Monday, thanks to a dump of snow.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a snowfall warning for Calgary overnight, cautioning that 10 to 15 centimetres of snow was expected to fall throughout the day.

The snow certainly had an impact on driving conditions: Calgary police say 170 non-injury crashes were reported between midnight and 4 p.m., as well as 18 involving injuries.

"We've been tracking this storm since Saturday afternoon," said Chris Hewitt, manager of mobility maintenance with the City of Calgary. "We started out expecting one to three centimetres (of snow) – it looks like we'll be in for 10 to 15 centimetres, even a little more by the time this is done."

Hewitt says crews were out over the weekend putting anti-icing agents on bridge decks and other trouble spots.

He says on Monday, crews are primarily salting roads.

"There may be some spots where we put down a little 'pickle' for traction – that's a gravel and salt mix – but predominantly salt."

The City of Calgary allots $55 million for snow clearing, and Hewitt says about $42 million has been used so far, so there's lots of money left to spend this season.

"We also have the snow and ice control reserve that we can pull from if we need to," he said.  

A stalled Calgary Transit bus can be seen on Cambrian Drive N.W. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.

Snow clearing operations

The City of Calgary says road crews are focusing on clearing the city's business routes, applying anti-icing material and plowing.

Calgary clears snow-covered roads using a Priority Snow Plan.

Crews spend the first 18 hours after snow stops falling tackling Priority 1 routes, including roads with more than 20,000 vehicles per day, like Crowchild Trail, as well as downtown cycle tracks.

(Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail are maintained by the provincial government.)

Snow in Calgary on Nov. 18, 2024. Crews then focus on Priority 2 routes — roads that carry more than 5,000 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. This is done from 18 hours after snowfall ends to 36 hours.

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

Though the city does not typically clear snow from residential streets, crews will level ruts in them as needed.

Busy for tow trucks

Jeff Hribnak, the operations manager at City Wide Towing, says it was a busy morning.

"(It's to be) expected with the weather we got last night," he said. “Probably over 200 to 300 calls at this point."

Many of the calls are for Calgary busses struggling in the snow.

 By the afternoon, those in need of help are looking at a wait time of six hours, Hribnak said.

"Slow down, move over. When you see ambers and blues emergency services on the side of the road, we're here to keep traffic moving and keep the roads open but we do need some patience and some space to do that," Hribnak said. 

The snowy roads were especially challenging for Calgary Transit.

The City of Calgary says transit has about 1,200 busses in its fleet, and at one point on Tuesday about 80 were waiting for a tow.

Highway 2 in poor shape

Okotoks RCMP are advising of poor driving conditions on Highway 2 at Dunbow Road. 

A release states that traffic is moving slowly in the area, and it's very backed up. 

Okotoks RCMP advised drivers of poor conditions on Highway 2 at Dunbow Road on Nov. 18, 2024.