Around 25 cm of snow fell on the Tri-Cities between Monday night (Dec. 19) and Tuesday morning (Dec. 20), depending on where you live.
As a result, city crews in each municipality worked through the night to clear priority routes, but are still continuing to do so.
The snow never stopped falling and led to rapid accumulation on almost every major roadway and sidewalk.
City officials in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are asking local residents to remain patient as snow plows work to clear the roads as quickly as possible.
Until then, if possible, communities are encouraged to stay home so the job can get done sooner than later.
Each Tri-City community has established priority routes during a snowfall event mandated in snow and ice removal policies.
And while residents are waiting for roads to clear, officials are asking everyone to break out the shovels for the benefit of neighbours, friends and family.
"Snow angels" are being called upon to help clear sidewalks and driveways, especially for older and vulnerable members of the community.
In Coquitlam, you can sign up and volunteer to be a "snow angel" by visiting the city's website.
Here's a reminder of the order of which roads are getting cleared and salted first before your neighbourhood streets
Priority One
Coquitlam
- Collector, arterial and emergency and bus routes that connect major sections of the community
- This is to maintain accessibility for emergency and transit vehicles
Port Coquitlam
- Arterial roads and main routes, steep hills and school zones (along steep hills)
Port Moody
- Major routes that allow movement for emergency and transit vehicles to get across the city and connect with regional roads and highways
Priority Two
Coquitlam
- Non-arterial, safe travel and collector routes that provide access to school sites and community care facilities, as well as sub-zones that contain a high percentage of local roads
- May be advanced, or delayed, due to event intensity, severity or duration
Port Coquitlam
- Bus routes, school zones (flat areas) and collector roads
Port Moody
- Collector routes more than 200 m long and connect to Priority Three routes
- Can also be routes that access neighbourhood local roads and key infrastructure, like water reservoirs, water pump stations and sewer lift stations
Priority Three
Coquitlam
- All remaining routes that maintain safe travel routes and accessibility for vehicles
- May be advanced or delayed depending on weather event’s intensity, severity or duration
Port Coquitlam
- Residential streets leading to subdivisions and industrial side streets
Port Moody
- All other local roads that connect to Priority Two routes
- These roads are serviced during normal weekday business hours, unless special circumstances require an immediate response
