The City of Whitehorse is spending $1.54 million this year to remove snow from 488 kilometres of streets and roads.

At its meeting Monday evening, Jim McLeod, the city's public works manager, told council his department has upgraded the priority of a number of locations to ensure city roads are snow-free.

'We revisit this every year,' McLeod said, explaining that with growth in the city, traffic patterns change.

He said the costs of snow-clearing change, depending on weather and the addition of new infrastructure.

This year's costs are coming in at $1.5 million. In contrast, 2005's costs were $1.04 million and 2004's costs totalled $1.56 million.

The city has grown a lot in the last 10 years, McLeod said, which means the city often has to change priorities.

In 1995, McLeod said, the city had 345 kilometres of road it was responsible for plowing.

The population in Whitehorse in 1995, according to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, was 23,012.

The population in 2006, according to the statistics bureau, is 23,638.

'The city is responsible for everything except for the Alaska Highway,' he said.

The Alaska Highway is the responsibility of the Yukon government.

McLeod said there have been a number of areas which have received upgraded priority.

Upgrades to the priority one list include Stope and Keewenaw Drives in Copper Ridge.

Upgrades to the priority two list include Fraser and Lorne Roads in McCrae as well as First Avenue to Black Street, areas of Ogilvie Street, and Keish Street downtown.

In the future, McLeod said, there could be more roads added to the city's responsibilities. They would include the new Whitehorse Copper subdivision, Raven's Ridge off the Fish Lake Road, Fox Haven Estates next to the Meadow Lakes Golf and Country Club and any extension of Hamilton Boulevard to Robert Service Way.

'They all add up,' McLeod said.

The city has a four-tier priority system for snow removal.

Priority one, according to city documents, includes freeways, major arterial roads, emergency routes, major bus routes, roads with steep grades and, in the spring, roads with drainage problems.

Priority one roads include Mountainview Drive, Robert Service Way, Two Mile Hill, Lewes Boulevard, Hospital Road, Second Avenue, Fourth Avenue and Clyde Wann Road.

'(Priority one roads) shall be opened in 24 hours, ploughed in 72 hours and have ice control operations concluded in 24 hours,' the documents say.

Priority two roads include the remainder of arterial roads, remaining bus routes, major industrial roads, roads in the central business district, roads adjacent to schools and roads prioritized to city-owned facilities, prioritized city parking lots and some emergency routes.

Priority two roads include sections of First and Third Avenues, Main Street, sections of Ogilvie Street, Industrial Road, College Road, Falcon Drive and McIntyre Drive.

'(Priority two) roads shall be opened in 48 hours, ploughed in 120 hours and have ice control operations concluded in 48 hours,' city documents state.

Priority three roads include all roads not listed as priorities one or two.

'The roads shall be opened, ploughed and have ice control operations concluded as required by the manager of public works.'

Priority four areas include the remainder of city-owned parking lots and laneways.