Winter driving conditions have already hit the resort.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is prepared for looking after the roads, but urges motorists to be ready for winter, too.
QLDC network operations engineer Ian Marshall said the town had its first frosty morning on Wednesday last week.
Light rain overnight and frosty temperatures caused icy spots, especially on Glenorchy Rd and on Malaghans Rd between Queenstown and Arrowtown.
"Winter driving conditions could apply any time from now on, particularly on clear, frosty mornings," Mr Marshall said.
Grit trucks have already been sent out once this winter season.
All public roads in the district are maintained by the council, except the state highways, which are looked after by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
The council has contracted Downer Ltd to grit roads, and it will also spray calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) to prevent icing under some circumstances.
"If it rains after CMA is sprayed, it can make the road surfaces very slippery, so this method is best suited to very dry conditions, where a frost is forecast," Mr Marshall said.
The council usually spends $300,000 to $450,000 on clearing snow, gritting and CMA spraying. The long winter last year meant the cost was at the top of this range, he said.
NZTA subsidises part of the cost for maintenance, but last year the council said it was running out of funds at the end of the season, which led to a fear of having to close the Crown Range Rd between Queenstown and Wanaka on snowy days, as there was not enough money left for snow clearing.
Mr Marshall said the total budget for all ongoing road maintenance, including winter road clearing, was $3.8 million for 2009-10, and the same amount was set aside in next year's budget, starting July 1.
He acknowledged it might not be enough to cover all the required but said last year's winter was exceptionally long and cold, which put a strain on the budget.
"We have some differences in opinion to NZTA about the general cost of `environmental maintenance', but are still talking to them about funding for next winter."
Gritting, spraying and snow clearing usually occurs about 100 days each year and 1500cu m of grit and 20 tonnes of CMA is used each year.
Footpaths would also be taken care of by the council.
"Ice is less of a problem on footpaths, but we will clear snow and ice when needed. Many of the walkways fall under the parks and reserves department, rather than roading, but I have talked to parks management about making surfaces on wooden walkways, like at the Village Green, less slippery.
"We will see if we can implement any measures in that regard before winter really sets in," Mr Marshall said.
"We are ready and prepared for winter," he said.
