The City of Kawartha Lakes has extended its declaration of a significant weather event until 5 p.m. on Friday (December 30), due to significant volumes of snow, drifting snow, and the amount of cleanup needed.
The municipality first declared the significant weather event — which suspends the standard timelines required to meet winter maintenance objectives such as clearing snow from roads — on Christmas Eve (December 24) and expected it to last until 5 p.m. on Tuesday (December 27).
“The sheer volume of snow in some areas is causing significant time impacts to achieving compliance with usual levels of service,” reads a media release from the city. “In some areas, it is taking an hour to clear one kilometre of road.”
The city states it has deployed all its available resources — both internal and external — since December 23 when the storm began. Work is continuing with a focus on opening and widening access on affected remaining roads.
“Residents are asked to please stay off the roads whenever possible and drive with extra caution,” reads the media release. “Clearing local roads blocked with snow drifts can be resource and time intensive, so response to some local roads may take longer than desired.”
To submit a winter maintenance request or another municipal service request, visit www.kawarthalakes.ca/reportit.
