A mechanical problem with the District of Squamish's (DOS) one and only grader was just one of the challenges faced by crews responsible for keeping main roads clear in the aftermath of the winter's largest snowfall this week.
With the grader out of service, those clearing the approximately 25 centimetres of snow that fell overnight Tuesday (Jan. 11) and into Wednesday (Jan. 12) had to use loaders to pile snow in windrows in the middle of many roads, including those downtown, Bob Smith, DOS manager of operations, told The Chief in an email on Wednesday.
"The crew did a great job as this is a more difficult job with a loader," Smith wrote. "Furthermore, due to the continuing snowfall after the roads were cleared, the new snow was compacted and due to a brief rain/warmup followed by a clear cool-down period, the streets became very slippery."
Despite that, Squamish RCMP reported no major vehicle collisions or traffic tie-ups as a result of the snow. RCMP Sgt. Murray Watt wrote in an email that police did respond to a report of a jackknifed semi-trailer truck on Highway 99 at Brohm Lake. However, "when members got there the truck must have righted itself and moved on," he wrote.
Squamish schools were open, but the Sea to Sky School District Board of Trustees cancelled several scheduled meetings, including the regular board meeting planned on Wednesday evening, "due to the fact that no quorum will be present," a district official told The Chief.
DOS officials issued a statement emphasizing that the priority snow-clearing routes are "arterial roads, emergency response routes and bus routes.
"Residents," the statement continued, "can help by not parking in no-parking areas and not passing snow plow trucks. Squamish businesses are reminded of their responsibility to remove snow and ice from their sidewalk and foot path no later than 10 o'clock in the morning."
Residents were also asked to pile shoveled snow on their property, not on streets or sidewalks, and to clear snow out of catch basins in front of their homes to reduce the risk of local flooding.
Smith said snow-clearing crews working the night shift managed to clear all high-priority routes before 8 a.m. However, with heavy snow falling all night and into the morning, "we had to start over on the red (high-priority) routes at 8 a.m. as we had received so much snow," he said.
"After a normal snowfall we can get most of the roads opened up in a 24-hour period but as you can see, we get curveballs thrown at us that add to that time," Smith said. "Additional snowfall, change of temperature, rain, freezing rain, equipment breakdowns, weekends all require different strategies for snow and ice control and will delay that 24-hour target."
The DOS spent $197,000 on snow removal for in 2010, Smith said. Officials had budgeted $259,000 for that purpose, Smith said. The snow-removal budget for 2011 will be set with the final DOS budget is adopted.
