You know what it’s like: just when you thought you were done with shovelling your driveway for the day, Mother Nature shows up with another dump of snow and off you go again.<\/p>\n
Now, imagine trying to clear that snow from about 500 kilometres of roads. The Town of Huntsville’s Roads Department has a big task every time there’s new snow or, as happened more than usual this year, freezing rain.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s been a difficult year with the temperature swings that we\u2019ve had,” says Ross Fisher, Road Foreman for the Town. “There’s lots of ice build-up and the roads are rough. We remove as much as we can while trying to keep the banks winged back, too.” Municipalities across the province have found it challenging to keep snow and ice build-up to a minimum thanks to the weird weather and Huntsville is no different – the Town has even enlisted help with two extra contracted graders this winter.<\/p>\n
“With these melt and freeze cycles, the ice just builds up and we can only do so much to remove it before we need to move on to other roads,” says Fisher. “We try to keep it fair for all residents.”<\/p>\n
There are priority routes, of course \u2013 those near schools or the hospital, or ones with steep grades receive attention first, but crews also react depending on how much snow or ice there is on the roads and how much is forecast to come. Roads staff monitor the weather around the clock and the department\u2019s single shift of workers plow every street at least once during their 12-hour shifts. In bad weather, they could be back on the road just 10 hours later.<\/p>\n
It can require some patience for drivers – you won’t be able to predict when a plow will come by to clear your road but know that they are out there and making their way to you. Just remember to slow down, drive according to conditions and leave a little earlier on snowy or icy days.<\/p>\n
With road conditions also affecting curbside garbage and recycling pick up, roads crews have been working hand-in-hand with the District in recent weeks to co-ordinate plow runs with the garbage routes.<\/p>\n
“We’re communicating with them to let them know where we start our runs so we can work in tandem – if they can follow routes that are already plowed and sanded it will be easier for them to get around. We’re trying to get more sand laid down to help them out,” says Fisher.<\/p>\n
You can help make road clearing go a little bit smoother, too:<\/p>\n
When you encounter any of the Public Works fleet, remember to go slow, be patient, and stay safe. And if you have any Public Works concerns, contact the Town\u2019s Customer Service Desk at 705-789-1751 or on the second floor of Town Hall.<\/p>\n
This is a sponsored story paid for by the featured advertiser<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
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