City asks drivers to be patient after first major snowstorm

Drivers and commuters should be patient as the city deals with the first major storm of the winter, says the City of Greater Sudbury's general manager of infrastructure.

“There are some residential streets we haven't likely gotten to yet,” Tony Cecutti told NorthernLife.ca around noon Tuesday. “You have to be patient and drive according to conditions.”

Cecutti said the city had a full call-out of contractors and city workers to clear roads with the first major winter storm of the 2015-2016 winter season.

The full call-out includes more than 40 large plows, he said, and a number of smaller vehicles to clear laneways and some parking lots.

“After the snow has stopped, within eight hours those major roads will all be clear and free of snow,” Cecutti said. It's the city's policy to have all residential roads cleared 24 hours after a major snowfall.

Cecutti said his department projects it will have spent $15 million for snow clearing in 2015 by the end of the year, which is the average amount normally spent.

He said the year's early months were a bit overbudget, but they have been balanced out by lower-than-average snowfall in November and December.