City's snow budget could finish 2020 with rare surplus

For the first time in almost a decade, the City of Ottawa might finish 2020 with a slight surplus in its snow-clearing budget.

The city expected to spend $78 million in 2020, butunless Mother Nature delivers a December wallop in the coming weeks, looks like it willend up about $500,000 in the black.

The last time the city had a small surplus for winter maintenance was 2011. Since then, it hasrun deficitsincluding a $23-million overrunin 2013 and $21.1 million last year.

Laila Gibbons, the city's director of roads and parking, credited the $5.6 million top-up council made in 2020for finally bringing the budget in line with the actual costs of salting andplowing roads and sidewalks.

Gibbons also pointed to changes the department made a year ago that treated winter maintenance differently in suburbs, older urban neighbourhoods and rural areas, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, and gave front-line supervisors more flexibility.

Even bigger changes will come when the city eventuallyadoptsnew standards for maintaining roads and sidewalks in winter.Public consultation will be heldto determine the details.

$335Mfor transportation infrastructure

The transportation committee endorsed some $650 million including $335 in capital spending on roads, cycling, traffic and parking in 2021.

Among the big-ticketprojects on tapis a $18.9-million widening of Bank Street to four lanes from Leitrim Road to Dun Skipper Drive to cater to thefast-growing Findlay Creek community,a project due to be finished in 2028.There's also $9.7 million to finish widening Strandherd Drive in Barrhavenfrom Maravista Drive to Jockvale Road.

Planning will also begin to widen the Airport Parkway, a project that has long been on the books but has faced delays.

Many older roads and theaging sewers underneath will be fully rebuilt, including $12 million spent on Byron AvenuebetweenKirkwoodandChurchill avenues, and $12.7 million on Bel-Air Drive.

The city will spend $45million to resurface and repair dozens more roads across Ottawa.

A few councillors, including Jeff Leiper and Shawn Menard, voted against the road widenings, as they want the city to focus more on active modes of transportation and reducing greenhouse gases.

In 2021, the City of Ottawa expects to bring in $6 million from the new photo radar pilotthat began lastJuly. Money from those tickets will funda list of projects designed toreduce road fatalities, to be discussed in the spring.

Also in the spring, a new line-painting truck that usesmore resilient paintwill finally hit the road.

The final transportation budget goes to full council Dec. 9. Public transit falls under transit commission, whose budget was already discussed last month.