Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Snow clearing

For the first time in three years, the City of Kamloops will haul snow away from busy streets

Jan 15, 2020 | 11:13 AM

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops has cleared plenty of snow from the roadways since the beginning of 2020 — and now it’s time to make that snow disappear.

Streets and Environmental Services Manager Glen Farrow tells CFJC Today contracted crews and city workers will begin hauling snow from the downtown core this week.

“Over the coming evenings, we will be starting to remove snow in the downtown core. Focusing on Lansdowne, Victoria, Seymour in between First and Sixth Avenues. That’s the main priority for snow removal, snow hauling,” said Farrow. “Then early next week, (we will be) moving into the Tranquille business district.”

The streets department has council-approved service levels for snow removal, beginning when Kamloops accumulates 60 centimetres. Farrow says the city did not hit that benchmark in 2018 or 2019, and thus didn’t do any snow hauling. He notes this week’s snowfall has pushed Kamloops past the 60-centimetre mark.

“We aren’t anticipating that snow to melt. We are actually expecting more snow in the coming weeks, so we felt, with this window of opportunity, we should start hauling some of that material away.”

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In addition to the busy commercial districts, city crews will spend some time over the weeks to come cutting down street drifts and windrows in the upper reaches of Aberdeen and Pineview Valley, and trucking that snow away. The aim is to ensure there is enough space on roads for vehicles to bypass each other, especially where transit buses are involved.

“Areas like Lodgepole, Abbeyglen in higher elevations, we are seeing the roads narrowing, impacting traffic, potentially, with the bus routes,” said Farrow. “So we will be starting to remove snow with those bus stops, as well as taking some of the windrows on some of those main corridors up in the higher elevations.”

The pattern of snow followed by cold temperatures and wind have led to many roads being polished to an icy sheen this week. In response, Farrow says his crews have been spreading sand throughout the city.

“We’re regularly patrolling and our focus is those key intersections around the community,” noted Farrow. “Even on local roads coming up to a stop sign, those areas where you need to stop, that’s where there is going to be materials. Looking at smaller, local roads that are flat, you’re not going to see much sand on those particular roads.”

Environment Canada’s forecast calls for snow throughout the day and overnight Wednesday (Jan. 15), followed by a brief reprieve before snowfall returns Friday night.