Knowledge Base

Immediately Following a Storm

Following a snow event, roads are cleared according to the Towns 'Snow Removal Priority Route' map. The perimeter and the first priority routes are cleared as soon as possible after the snow begins. These roads are the busiest routes in town, and they need to be cleared first to accommodate emergency vehicles and higher traffic flows. When the first priority routes are finished, the crew will move to the rest of the streets. Again, these priorities are set by the amount of traffic each road receives and the number of residents each road services. The interior routes are generally cleared with the plow truck. This truck is equipped with a belly plow and our goal is to have the driving lanes cleared as soon as possible. The grader generally clears the perimeter, as it has the control to clear the roads completely and push the snow off to the side of the road. Our goal the first day after a snow fall is to have the driving lanes cleared on all roads throughout town.

Complete Street Cleaning

After the initial snow clearing, we will begin completely clearing streets and hauling snow. The downtown core and first priority routes are done first. The Town is then divided into  6 sections for snow removal, and if time and the weather allows we will begin to haul snow from all residential neighborhoods. There are no preferences to where we begin our snow clearing, and we try to rotate which neighborhoods will get cleared first after a snow fall. During winters with extended periods of snow and cold, every neighborhood can expect to be cleared at least once. During mild winters where we experience frequent snow and melting your neighborhood may not see any complete snow removal.

End of Snow Season

When the weather changes for the better and warming is expected, our priorities for snow removal will change. The Town crew will focus on those neighborhoods with a large area that drain above ground, such as Westlynn. The Westlynn/Willow Road neighborhoods have a total area of 68 acres to drain above ground, with only six feet of elevation change! If the drainage corridor is not cleared in this area before the melt begins the Town crew will be fighting with ice for the rest of the winter. There are a few neighborhoods in Town where overland drainage is the main drainage system, and the crews will try and have all these areas completed before the melt. The areas of town with a storm sewer system, while they still experience some ice build up and drainage issues, will usually do well on their own once the snow begins to melt. These areas only need overland drainage for a block or two and the Town crew will monitor drainage and assist when needed.

With a small public works crew and 49 total kilometers of roads in town, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we may not be able to have the entire town cleared after every snow fall, and that will lead to drainage issues.

How You Can Help

Some things residents in town can do to assist the crew with their winter road maintenance are:

1. Do not shovel your snow from driveways and sidewalks onto the road or curb line. The added snow will impede the drainage corridors and cause water to backup onto your driveways and sidewalks. Additionally, your lawn will love the extra moisture if you shovel the snow onto your grass.
2. Ensure your curb lines are free of snow and debris. This is an ongoing task throughout winter but will make all the difference when the snow begins to melt. The town crew clear what they can, but with 49 kilometers of road, we need assistance from residents.
3. Similar to above, if you have a storm drain adjacent to your property, ensure it is free of ice and debris. Strom drains are in the lowest areas of the road, so even if it is plugged the water will still come and cause water to pool and cover the sidewalks.
4. Try to avoid parking your vehicle in an area that blocks drainage. Even tires in the curb line are enough to slow or block drainage in the winter. If you see town crews removing snow in your area, move your vehicle if possible to allow the snow to be cleaned underneath. If snow removal was not done under your vehicle try not to park in the same place everyday, as Town crews will not be able to clear the ice/snow and the shade created by the vehicle will slow the melt.