CALGARY -The City of Calgary is saving millions on road maintenance and repairs after a warm start to the year.
Forget snow and ice control—this March, city road crews are busy filling potholes instead of pushing snow.
“It has been so warm and road temperatures so high, we have been able to use the hot mix and do a more permanent fix sooner,” said Jessica Bell, spokesperson for the City Roads department.
Since January, the city has spent $9.3 million less than what it spent during the same time last year, when weeks of blizzards had city ploughs moving onto residential streets to clear the snow.
“Touch wood, this week is looking really good and next week – hopefully the savings are there,” said Ward 1 Councillor Ward Sutherland.
While we’re not out of the woods yet, if the warm weather persists it’s the savings that could snowball into a big ball of cash. The same crews that operate ploughs are the ones fixing potholes, so no overtime, better-kept roads and no wear and tear on the trucks all makes a difference.
Any excess cash will be kept in a reserve fund to use in years when road maintenance goes over its $37-million snow and ice control fund (SNIC) budget. Another bonus: The city has also started its spring cleaning program early, which means trucks will be cleaning roads and perhaps saving windshields at a faster rate than in the past.
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