New equipment will help Mississauga snowplows clear and salt the roads faster

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Published November 8, 2021 at 12:15 pm

Snow storm Mississauga

Roads across Mississauga will be cleared of snow and made safer for travel more quickly this winter, say city officials who’ve brought in some new equipment to do the job.  

The more efficient machinery comes along with a new winter maintenance contract that will see the City of Mississauga pay $17.7 million a year over the next eight years to clear the snow from the city’s roads and sidewalks. 

City officials say new snow-clearing equipment will allow them to clear the roads more efficiently, as snowplows will have the ability to salt and plow at the same time, if necessary. 

Additionally, an expanded anti-icing program will see the City use more brine equipment to help limit the use of road salt. Brine is a mix of water saturated with salt, and it’s used to pre-treat some roads ahead of a snowfall, making it harder for ice to form and easier to plow roads.

This is one of the new snowplows that will be more efficiently clearing Mississauga roads this winter, according to city officials.

“The amount of time it takes to treat and clear roads and sidewalks depends on the amount of snow that’s fallen,” said Mickey Frost, Mississauga’s director of works operations and maintenance. “Every winter, we make it a priority to keep Mississauga safe and accessible for residents and those who travel in and out of the city every day. The City has also invested in new equipment, including an expanded anti-icing program using more brine (concentration of salt and water) for more effective salt management. We understand the importance of the environment in today’s climate and into the future, which is why we continue to look at our salt management practices and equipment to control how much salt we use.” 

The City is responsible for clearing snow and ice on 5,700 lane kilometres of City-owned roads and 1,700 lane kilometres of priority sidewalks, a process that can take between 12 and 36 hours after the snow stops depending on how much snow has fallen, officials say.  

Additionally, it’s responsible to clear snow and ice at 3,300 bus stops, more than 1,000 pedestrian crossings and 105 kilometres of roadside multi-use trails. 

Mayor Bonnie Crombie gets behind the wheel of one of the city’s smaller snow-clearing vehicles during a show-and-tell of some of Mississauga’s new winter maintenance equipment. (Photos: City of Mississauga)

The Region of Peel clears most regional roads, such as Airport and Dixie Rds., which carry higher volumes of traffic moving at higher speeds than local roads. 

“Regardless of the time of year, we’re committed to ensuring residents can get around Mississauga easily and efficiently, whether they drive, take transit, walk, cycle or use other forms of active transportation and mobility devices,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Our winter crews are ready to respond 24/7 to keep our city moving. As snow begins to fall, please be patient, plan ahead and give yourself extra time as you travel to your destination. And please be alert of others on the road including snow plows.” 

Residents are also encouraged to do their part by: 

  • removing parked vehicles from residential streets, whenever possible, when it snows
  • clearing your walkway and sidewalk
  • reporting excess salt use at bus stops to the City of Mississauga

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