Crews on both sides of the bridge ready for snow...whenever it comes

So far, there’s been far more talk of snow than actual snow in the Central Okanagan.

As communities on both sides of the Bennett Bridge wait for the first snowfall of the winter, both the City of Kelowna and City of West Kelowna say their crews are ready for action.

In Kelowna, crews have already tested and equipped trucks, restocked materials like salt, liquid calcium and sand, prepared new equipment arrivals and trained both new and returning staff.

Over in West Kelowna, crews will prepare for winter by applying brine to designated city streets, and are ready to hit those streets when the snow starts to fall.

Both cities clear snow on a priority basis, which is important for residents to be reminded of before the time comes.

Here’s what those priority lists look like for each city:

KELOWNA

• Priority 1: Large arterial roads like Gordon Drive, Springfield Road & Lakeshore Road.
• Priority 2: Collector roads with steep hills, sharp curves, school zones, emergency vehicle stations & transit routes, like Richter Street and the Black Mountain area.
• Priority 3: Local & residential roads.
• Priority 4: Residential laneways that allow a secondary access point to properties.

WEST KELOWNA

• Priority 1: Arterial corridors and steep collector roads are prioritized first. Priority 1 roads, as marked in our priorities map, include: Anders/Boucherie/Hudson/Mission Hill, Asquith/Mountains Hollow/Old Okanagan Shannon Lake, Bartley/East Boundary/Vineyard, Glenrosa/Lower Glenrosa/McIver/Webber and Horizon/Parkinson/Stevens/Westlake.
• Priority 2: Collector roads, other steep neighbourhood entry corridors, urban centres and school zones are prioritized next, dependent on snowfall severity. Priority 2 roads, as marked in our priorities map, include: Auburn, Dunbarton, Elliott, Ensign, Gates, Gellatly South, Glencoe, Hayman, the lower portion of Smith Creek, McDougall, McGinnis, McQueen, Montigny, Reece, Ross, Shannon Ridge, Shannon Woods, Scott/Spyview/Westview, Stuart, Tallus, Thacker, Wild Horse, Yorkton and others.
• Priority 3 Steep: Steeper side streets, culs-de-sac and no-thru roads are prioritized third and attended within 48 hours after the snow stops falling.
• Priority 3: Neighbourhood streets, no-thru roads, culs-de-sac, crescents, and rural roads are attended following Priority 3 Steep, within 48 hours after the snow stops falling.

As always, residents in both cities can help out snow removal crews by avoiding on-street parking if possible right after a snowfall.

People are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks and walkways outside their home, but are asked to avoid shoveling it back onto the road and to keep fire hydrants and storm drains accessible.

Maintenance crews contracted by the Government of BC are responsible for clearing local highways like Hwy 97, Hwy 97C and Hwy 33.