Over half a metre of snow has piled up on neighbourhood streets across Edmonton but city crews will not begin tackling the task of blading it down until after the new year.
That’s because graders and snowplows will be busy removing windrows and snow piled up on centre medians on major roads and bus routes first.
“This year, to this point, we’ve received approximately 72 cm of snow accumulation and last year, overall, we received 107 cm overall — and by December of last year, we only had 47,” said Val Dacyk, general supervisor of infrastructure field operations with the city’s parks and roads services department.
“So we’ve had almost double the amount of snow compared to last year.”
Crews have been working basically around the clock for the past 20 days clearing over 12,000 km of roadway, she said, due to the back-to-back heavy snowfalls over the past few weeks.
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They have not made it into residential areas yet because it keeps snowing, requiring plows to keep going back to clear Priority 1 to 3 major roads and bus routes.
“Those are your mains — your Calgary Trails, your Gateway Boulevards, those types of things,” Dacyk said.
“When it snows again on us before we’re completed, we have to go back and start again.”
The city said if it feels like your area hasn’t been touched, it’s not out of neglect — rather, it just keeps snowing so much, the city keeps having to return to square one.
“The majority of residential roads we have not made it into,” Dacyk said, “but we have made it onto bus routes and collectors, which do run through neighbourhoods.”
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The Phase 1 parking ban enacted Sunday by the City of Edmonton will end Wednesday at noon, but Dacyk said city crews will continue necessary operations before moving to clear residential roads that she said are ranked as Priority 4.
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“Windrows are everywhere in the city right now and we acknowledge them. We are addressing them in the business improvement areas, vulnerable areas, sight lines in school zones and other areas that the travel lane is impacted.
“Those will be removed first with priority.”
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The city said crews will remove centre stacks and windrows in business areas and other high priority locations, which Dacyk anticipates will take about five days.
“Crews are also focusing efforts right now on areas where New Year’s Eve festivities will be taking place, specifically allowing residents to go out and enjoy our New Year’s Eve activities,” Dacyk said on Tuesday morning.
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Snow and windrow removal will only occur on major roads where snow is encroaching on driving lanes, as well as locations where snow reduces sightlines in school zones and crosswalks.
Drivers are asked to stay at least eight metres (about 25 feet) behind the back of ploughs.
“Our ploughs work in groups and it’s really important that you give the entire group room to work in order to keep yourself safe and keep our operators safe.”
Once all that work is done and conditions are appropriate, a Phase 2 parking ban for residential roadways will be announced.
The city said it knows it needs to be done now because the snow pack has exceeded 10 cm and uneven conditions are occurring, but there are only so many crews to go around and the main roads need to be dealt with first.
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“Residential zones are in need of blading right now. We acknowledge that,” Dacyk said, adding right now crews are still working on the high-priority areas like major travel zones.
“Throughout the next week we will be continuing to do that — cleaning up on our main priority lanes.
“At that point, weather allowing, we’ll be going into residential zones.”
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The city said based on current weather forecasts, it anticipates a Phase 2 ban will occur within the next two to three weeks.
“Once the residential ban is called, it will take up to 14 days to clear from residential areas,” Dacyk said, adding cooperation is needed from residents to make sure the process goes smoothly and vehicles are not blocked in or damaged.
“We really need you to move your vehicles to allow for safe and efficient clearing.”
As windrows have piled up, some residents along bus routes and areas already plowed have complained of them blocking their driveways and sidewalks.
The city said crews aim to clear crosswalks and one car width access into driveways, but apologize if the entire entry has been left blocked, saying their operators are human and can make mistakes. If that has happened, people are asked to call 311.
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The city also reminds property owners they are to shovel their walks and driveways onto their own property, not to put it on the road.
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During a Phase 2 ban, residential roads are not not cleared to bare pavement, but rather bladed to a level snowpack of about five cm.
A Phase 2 ban can last up to 14 days, the ban only affects individual neighbourhoods for around 72 hours when they are scheduled for clearing.
A notice of the scheduling will occur at least 24 hours ahead of time, when yellow “no parking” signs are placed at main entrances to neighbourhoods.
Plows can make several passes, so the city said residents should not resume parking until work in an area is confirmed to be completed.
After crews have completed work in a neighbourhood, the ban will be lifted for that particular area and parking may resume even while the broader ban is in effect.
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