A break in winter weather will give time for West Kelowna crews to catch up on maintenance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, Jan. 7, 2022

The City of West Kelowna thanks people for their patience as Public Works crews continue their full-force efforts to maintain roads and sidewalks after the mid-week winter storm, which hit our community harder than previous years.

“We’ve experienced multiple significant snow events within quick succession and Public Works crews have been working around the clock to clear the way,” says Allen Fillion, Director of Engineering and Public Works. “An average of 21 centimetres of snow fell on the City’s 522-lane-kilometre road network and sidewalks and walkways.”

The storm dumped up to double the amount of snow on West Kelowna, as compared to many other Central Okanagan communities. 

“Our roads crews have been shoveling and ploughing non-stop to get roads and sidewalks cleared for residents and we appreciate the patience of our community as we continue to dig out from this latest snowfall,” says Fillion.

With a break in weather over the weekend, expect crews to:

• Complete post-storm maintenance on Priority 3 Roads throughout Friday

• Revisit already ploughed and sanded Priority 1 and 2 Roads, as needed

• Finish digging out bus stops and maintaining sidewalks along civic properties and certain sidewalks that the City maintains such as the Gellatly waterfront walkway and parts of the downtown core – Westbank Centre

View the Roads Priority Map at westkelownacity.ca/snowdays. 

The City thanks homeowners for continuing to do their part by parking off street for up to 48 hours after the last snowfall, to give ploughs the clearance they need to efficiently clear roads. The City also thanks homeowners for clearing sidewalks, hydrants and storm drains around their properties and those who are helping out their neighbours. We want to recognize neighbours helping neighbours. You can visit ourwk.ca/snowstar to nominate these helpers, who will then qualify for a prize draw at the end of the snowy season.

Remember, waste collection can be delayed by winter storms; if waste is not yet collected, leave out your carts until crews can empty them.

Most of all, stay safe. Expect winter road conditions and have appropriate tires, go slow and leave extra braking and reaction time between vehicles.