The crisp New Year’s weekend turned Maple Ridge into a winter wonderland as the frost froze and turned trees into ice sculptures.
Roads could have been a lot more icy too, except for the road crews with the city.
“We’re ready, if we get one centimetre or 40 centimetres,” said roads superintendent Walter Oleschak.
Usually if ice or snow is expected, one truck that carries salt brine, water mixed with road salt, patrols the major streets and bridges during late evenings and early mornings and lays down a coating of salt water, which soaks into the asphalt and melts any ice and snow, at least for the first few hours.
Once the roads receive a coating of brine, they can withstand a snowfall for the next three or four days, if it doesn’t rain.
On Sunday night, though, four trucks were on the road, preparing for any snow, just to be on the safe side in case a snowfall hit.
Only a light dusting fell.
Oleschak said the last major snowfall in Maple Ridge took place in the 2008-2009 winter.
Since then, there’s been no major snow events, despite the training that crews receive every year. That can make it frustrating for the workers who get all prepared to respond to a snow emergency only to have it never snow.
The City of Maple Ridge allocates about $300,000 yearly for its snow-removal budget. That grows every year if it’s not spent.
Five one-tonne trucks, five tandem dump trucks, a single axle truck and two brine-spreading trucks can respond during a snowfall to keep roads clear. Bobcats, graders and front-end loaders can also help out if it really piles up.
One weapon the city uses that gives it an early warning about any extreme weather is the Weathernet service out of the U.S. that provides detailed forecasts, almost down to the hour, for Maple Ridge or any local area.
The city can receive three or four weather updates a day from that service.
“They’re phenomenal, actually.”