Days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping and snow is inevitably on its way. As we head into the snowy winter months, Lethbridge city crews claim they are all set to go as soon as snowflakes start to fall.
“Three months ago, we started the process of bringing in sand,” Jame Nicholls, the city’s transportation operations manager, said. “We actually had some left over from last year because of the relatively mild winter that we had. But we always assume the worst and we’re always prepared for the worst.
“We have everything ready to go just in case the next storm decides to hit us.”
The transportation operations department has about 15,000 tonnes of sand as well as salt and other chemicals ready for icy conditions.
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The city has also added a third snow-clearing truck with a wing plow mounted on the right side of the vehicle. Operators will now have a 20 foot reach to clear almost double the amount of snow than before.
With the extra clearance, Nicholls asks drivers to be extra careful when they see crews on the road.
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“We have those pieces of equipment that hang off of the right hand side of the plow and a lot of times they’re not visible until they start putting them down,” Nicholls said. “You should never be passing a snowplow on the right-hand side but especially with the wing plows.
“We have all sorts of safety concerns … so please give us some space to work.”
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Nicholls said the city’s early winter weather predictions are calling for a weak El Nina this year. That could mean below average temperatures and above average precipitation. Breaking that down means we could be in store for a colder and snowy winter, and for city crews, a lot of work ahead.