City awaits first major snow-clearing operation of the winter

The City of Winnipeg has 450 pieces of heavy equipment ready to clear snow during and after the storm expected to hover over the city for the next 36 hours.

The city expects to spend anywhere from $750,000 to $6 million on the first major snow-clearing operation of the winter, public works spokesman Ken Allen told reporters Monday afternoon.

The low end of the range would be the tab for clearing snow off major streets in the event only a few centimetres fall on Winnipeg, Allen said. The high of the range would be the tab for clearing snow off major streets, collectors and then residential streets in every pocket of the city.

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The forecast for Winnipeg calls for 15 to 20 centimetres of snow between Monday evening and Wednesday morning.

Winnipeg has about$10 million remaining in its $33.5-millionsnow-clearing budget for the year, Allen said. The city was hoping to use some of thiscushion to cover off operating expenses in the 2017 budget, which calls for a $9.5-million transfer from 2016.

Allen said there is no pressure on public works to hold back on snow clearing in any manner. The city's snow-clearing operations are dependent on weather and street conditions only, he said.