City of Winnipeg launches new tools to track street sweeping ahead of start of spring cleanup

The City of Winnipeg will shake off its winter grime and attempt to look presentable with its annual spring cleanup beginning Monday and a new online tool will help you find out when it's your street's turn for a shine.

Street sweepers will buff back lanes,along with all city streets, bridges and overpasses.

Approximately 500 workers will start onMonday and take between five and six weeks to clean up the sand and other debris.

"It's dirty out there and we have a city to clean up," Mayor Brian Bowman said Friday.

Jason Shaw, who manages the city's emergency operations centre, says the work crews have been briefed on physical distancing protocols.

The city launched a new website Friday with a searchable progress map that will provide a 24-hour advance notice of when residential streets are scheduled for sweeping,and will also indicatewhen the work is finished.

The portal also has information on parking restrictions during the cleanup.

The city's Know Your Zone app, created to warn residents to move their vehicles for snow clearing, has been updated for the street-sweeping season and is available for free download.

The update allows residents to add their addresses to receivenotifications 24 hours in advance of crews on the streets.

The city's curbside yard waste collection program will resume the week of May 4.