Here's how the city of Ottawa will clear 20 to 30 cm of snow
City of Ottawa officials are warning it will "take some time to clean up" from the first significant winter storm of the season.
A snowfall warning is in effect for the city of Ottawa, calling for 20 to 30 cm of snow to fall by Saturday morning. The city says "all available resources will be deployed" to respond to the storm.
- Here is a look at the school bus cancellations and school closures for Ottawa and eastern Ontario
"We're going through right now and making sure all of our equipment and materials are ready," Bryden Denyes, the city's program manager for road services, told CTV Morning Live.
"Our staff are on call and our supervisors are monitoring the weather. We'll have staff ready to respond no matter what time it starts."
When the snow starts to fall, snowplows will focus on the main routes, especially Friday morning.
"There will be some heavy, heavy snow in that period of time, so we'll be making sure all of our priority roads have equipment on it, priority sidewalks and our winter cycling network for that a.m. peak period," Denyes said.
According to the city of Ottawa's Maintenance Quality Standards, sidewalks and roads are cleared based on their usage volume and priority level.
Snow clearing begins on major roads, arterial roads, major collector roads, and priority sidewalks at the start of accumulation, according to the city.
Denyes says the city will begin to focus on residential streets when the storm moves out of the region, likely on Saturday morning.
"Depending on the storm and how much snow we get for accumulation wise and when it starts to taper off, we could look at getting into our residential streets on Saturday, I would say Saturday morning," Denyes said.
"It all depends on the storm and when it ends, but it will be definitely be at the end of the storm on Saturday."
Here is a look at when snow clearing is done on roads and sidewalks during the storm.
At the start of accumulation:
- Highway 174, the Transitway, major roads and arterials.
- After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 2 to 4 hours to complete.
2.5 centimetres accumulation:
- Sidewalks in the downtown core and the winter cycling network
- After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 4 hours to complete
5 centimetres accumulation:
- Secondary roads and minor collectors such as Wall Road, Dovercourt Avenue, Donald Street, Springbrook Drive, etc.
- After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 6 hours to complete
5 centimetres accumulation:
- Residential sidewalks
- After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 12 to 16 hours to complete
7 or more centimetres of accumulation
- Residential roads and lanes such as Billings Bridge, Waverley Street, Smith Road, etc.
- After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 10 to 16 hours to complete.
Denyes is asking motorists to stay home during the storm to assist with the cleanup.
"The less traffic out on the roads definitely helps us move through our operations faster, and we can get it done safer."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.