Residential streets in St. Albert will be cleared of snow starting on Wednesday.
The city’s public works snow removal crews and some six private contractors have been working around the clock since a record 35 centimetres of snow fell in just 10 hours last Wednesday, Nov. 7. Crews worked on clearing arterial and collector roads on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and will start on residential areas next, confirmed public works director Dan Rites on Tuesday.
“The big thing is for residents to park on either their driveway or in their garage to get them out of the way so crews can go curb to curb on this and clear all the snow away,” Rites said.
“There is no official parking ban,” he added.
While the decision to clear residential streets is typically dictated by the thickness of the snowpack on driving lanes, Rites said conditions and weather also influenced the decision. Anywhere from 12 to 15 centimetres of accumulation will trigger residential street clearing.
“This was a bit of a winter situation, something we would see towards the end of winter or April,” Rites said.
Specifically, crews are having problems removing ice from all roads, similar to problems both Edmonton and Strathcona County are experiencing. Rites wasn’t sure why the ice has become so problematic but said the initial snowfall created a layer of ice underneath the snow that the city’s equipment simply can’t remove.
“We can’t pop it out. We can’t remove it. It’s hard to say what causes it. It’s not typical type of weather in our area of the woods,” he said.
The warming trend that began Sunday played a significant role in the decision to clear residential streets, Rites said. As the snow and ice soften, the icy driving paths that vehicles have created on most streets become soft, with cars more likely to break through and become stuck.
“Whatever ice roads build in the residential areas from people driving, if it warms up, a car will break through that and they get stuck, spinning their wheels,” Rites said.
According to a schedule released by the city, Erin Ridge, Deer Ridge, Inglewood and Oakmont are first, while Sturgeon, Heritage Lakes, Forest Lawn, Akinsdale and North Ridge are last.
Rites said crews have been clearing some areas already where residents have been significantly challenged. Hilly areas, and other places where it is difficult to get around, will take priority. Crews will start in areas where they have just finished clearing collectors.
“There is some rhyme or reason as to the order of those,” he said.
This is the first residential snow clearing of the 2012 calendar year. Public works crews will again be supported by private contractors. Rites said the six currently working will likely be increased to 10. The city hopes to have all roads cleared by Nov. 24.
Anyone with questions or concerns should call public works at 780-459-1557.
