Halton Hills prepared to tackle winter snowfalls

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Published November 16, 2020 at 12:09 pm

The Town of Halton Hills is gearing up for winter and promises it will be ready when the snow meets the pavement.

Mayor Rick Bonnette says the Town’s response to heavy snow will be carried out per Council’s approved policies that set out the priority routes, focusing first on main arterial roads, then collector roads and finally, residential and rural roads.

“I want to remind residents that we will clear roads as quickly as possible,” Mayor Rick Bonnette says. “However, please be patient as it does take time for the plows to get to all of our local streets. Please know that we recognize the importance of road maintenance in supporting drivers’ safety.”

In anticipation of the cold weather season, municipal staff have been preparing for snow with vehicle testing, employee training and ensuring adequate salt and sand supplies to maintain the roads.

Residents are asked to note the following:

• Any significant impacts to personnel due to COVID-19 could impact overall completion times; resources will be directed to maintain routes on a priority basis and provide access for emergency services.

• Heavy snowfall or successive storms extend winter control activities resulting in delays getting to local roads.

• A Town-wide parking prohibition on streets is in effect between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from November 15 to April 15 for night-time snow clearing operations.

• Municipally maintained sidewalk snow clearing starts at the beginning of a snow event; staff will endeavour to complete work within 48 hours after the event has ended.

• Residents are asked to assist with clearing snow from fire hydrants.

• Residents are asked not to shovel snow onto roadways.

• Residents are asked to ensure garbage and blue boxes are kept off roadways.

Bill Andrews, Commissioner of Transportation and Public Works, notes the Town adheres to a Winter Control Program to manage over 1,100 km of roads, 158 km of sidewalks, and 27 municipal parking lots.

“There is a lot of work to do and staff operates in a sequential and planned manner,” he says. “As the mayor noted, winter control is performed in priority sequence: Regional roads such as Trafalgar Rd. are cleared first; then arterial roads such as Guelph St. then collector roads like Delrex Blvd. followed by local urban and rural roads.”

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