The City of Prince George issued a heavy snowfall declaration on Tuesday morning, following Monday’s snow storm.
City crews and contractors will be focused on clearing Priority 1 and Priority 2 routes, before moving on to residential side streets.
“It will take us some extra time to get to everything so please be patient! All available equipment has been deployed and we are doing the very best we can,” a City of Prince George social media post on Tuesday morning said. “We appreciate your patience and kindness as we work to tackle the snow this week!”
Priority 1 routes include: Arterial roads and curb-adjacent sidewalks; the downtown business district; the hospital area; major facility entrances, walking surfaces and parking areas; and the city’s off-street parking lots.
Priority 2 routes include: Collector roads and curb-adjacent sidewalks; priority hills; commercial and industrial roads; bus routes that are not Priority 1; and bus stops along Priority 1 routes.
Priority 3 routes include residential streets and everything else.
“When we start P3 routes, we will start in the orange zone and work in order of the garbage collection schedule,” the city social media post said. “Please note: if you live on a road with no curb or gutter, your driveway will not be opened immediately. We plow those roads with a truck plow which can't open driveways. This helps us plow the roads much faster... we will come back when we have time to open your driveway!”
City heavy snowfall declarations are made when at least 20 cm of snow falls in a 24-hour period. Under the declaration, the city begins snow clearing operations downtown an hour early than normal (11 p.m. instead of midnight) and city crews are given an additional day to reach their snow clearing targets for each additional 8 cm above 20 cm.
Under normal operations, Priority 1 and 2 routes are expected to be cleared within 48 hours and Priority 3 routes are cleared over the following three days, once Priority 1 and 2 routes are completed.
"Residents should avoid non-essential travel. If they must travel, exercise patience, drive to conditions, and take extra time to plan their routes," a statement issued by the city on Tuesday says. "The RCMP have advised, these conditions exist for emergency workers, as well, and it may take longer for emergency services to get to drivers in the event of an accident. Drivers should bring winter gear and an emergency kit."
