THUNDER BAY -- City crews are hoping to keep main roads clear for much of the day as they continue to battle a post-Christmas winter storm.
Thunder Bay is being hit by its first major winter storm of the year, with Environment Canada forecasting up to 35 centimetres of snow to fall starting early Thursday morning before letting up on Friday.
City crews have been out since 8 a.m. Thursday removing snow from some of the more major roads.
"Today we have all our resources out concentrating on the arterial collector roadways," city manger of roads Brad Adams said referring to major roads such as Arthur Street or Memorial Avenue.
"We'll be back out at 2 a.m., and hopefully sometime tomorrow we'll start plowing local roads."
Those local streets are expected to take 72 hours to clear, with completion expected sometime Sunday. Residential sidewalks are likely to be finished by Jan. 1.
Adams said roughly 34 plows are being used to clear roadways.
"It's a significant snow event," Adams said. "But it's not that bad. As the snow gets a little wetter and heavier, it will take us a little longer."
In terms of road safety, Thunder Bay Police reported three major collisions as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday.
Acting Traffic Sgt. Bill Pollock said the collision reporting centre is at standing room only, indicative of a busy day for minor collisions.
"If you have the opportunity, stay home and don't drive," he said.
"I grew up in Thunder Bay, this is about what you expect from a winter storm. So if you're on the road, give yourself the appropriate amount of time to get to where you're going, and you should make it there safely."
For travel through the sky, the Thunder Bay Airport said most flights are on time with a few minor delays.
CEO Ed Schmidtke is encouraging travellers to stay in touch either with the airport's website, or with their airline's website, "just to make sure that they have the most recent information."
The city is still under a winter storm warning, as snowfall is expected to continue until Friday morning.
Environment Canada is calling for a quick, but cold break before more snowy days forecasted for Saturday through to Monday.
With files from Matt Vis, Gary Rinne.
