It’s slick and snowy on Calgary and area roads
Posted Dec 31, 2017 3:53 pm.
Last Updated Dec 31, 2017 4:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The sun has emerged from behind the clouds, but it hasn’t melted the ice from city roads just yet.
Even though many roads are salt and sand covered, it’s a slip and slide out there.
“The roads are fairly slick, so we just ask that motorists slow down and give themselves extra space, even more space then they think they need too in front of them,” said City of Calgary Spokesperson Anna Melnick. “[The roads] are going to be snow and ice covered.”
She said with the road conditions the way they are, crews are out in full force.
“We have all available equipment out and that could be upwards of 100 pieces, and we have all available crews out,” she said. “We also called in extra contractors this weekend in terms of graders, to help us focus on trouble spots.”
When the temperature is above minus five, Melnick said crews can use a salt material that helps act as an anti-icing agent.
However, Melnick said they face a whole other challenge when temperatures drop to around minus 40 and they have to start using a material called pickle.
“[It’s] a mixture of salt and sand and that helps with traction, as well as a little bit of ice control,” she said. “It doesn’t have the same ability to act as an anti-icing agent so the roads might be a little bit slipperier than usual.”
Right now, Melnick said there’s no plan to call a Snow Route Parking Ban.
If you want to find out more information, you can visit the City of Calgary website, or follow @yyctransport on Twitter.
