Road crews stay on top of messy weather

435 tonnes of salt and sand laid on slippery roads March 3rd and 4th

By Casandra Turnbull

Up until recently, it’s been a fairly tame winter. Then March came in like a lion with three winter storms that left residents digging out their gloves, shovels and well just digging themselves out in general. The first taste of winter hit on February 27th with snow squalls that started in the afternoon and brought about 70 km/h gusts of wind and freezing rain. It also dumped 10-20 centimetres of snow. That blast was followed by an encore performance of sorts on March 3rd and 4th and the white stuff came one more time with upwards of 10 centimetres of snow blanketing the area yesterday It's been a busy month so far for the County of Brant Roads Department.

“The weight of the snow was very challenging as vehicles had to work hard and consumer greater amounts of fuel,” said Greg Demers, Director of Roads. Crews put in lots of hours making sure Brant County roads were as clear as can be The wet snow presented a challenge, especially during the March 3/4th snowfall. The county maintains approximately 2,200 kilometres of roads. During that particular storm, 410 tonnes of salt and 25 tonnes of sand were applied to area roads. Plow and salt operators travelled a total of 8,500 kilometres, consuming 7,250 litres of fuel while keeping up with the fastfalling flakes.

“Visibility was a concern at certain times of the storms for the operators as they moved through their routes cautiously,” said Demers “With the county having many steep grades, the plows could not be everywhere at once and a few vehicles had traction issues when travelling up the hill.”

Another hazard for operators were the number of cars parked on the roadway. “The largest obstacle for our crews during plowing operations and clean up efforts for these events were the parked vehicles. If residents could park off the road this would help us service them with greater efficiency,” he said.

Those without driveways are impacted the most. Demers suggested those residents, where possible, could make alternate arrangements during significant weather events such as parking in a neighbour’s driveway or finding a spare space at the municipal parking lot if it’s an option.

The recent storms have also prompted the county to notify residents of scheduled snow clean up efforts.

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Following the February 27th storm, in anticipation of another storm set to hit days later, 20 tandem loads of snow were removed from the downtown core. This increases access to businesses and reduces the chance of ice formation from thaw and freeze cycles, which creates hazards for everyone. As good Samaritans lent a hand to one another, clearing driveways and sidewalks, some of the town’s most vulnerable citizens were stuck at home. The County of Brant operates a Snow Buddy program, where volunteers 12 or older help those in need with basic snow removal services

Unfortunately, not everyone who tried to access the Snow Buddy Program was matched with a buddy because there is a wait list. Demers confirmed the county is in need of more snow buddies. Those who take part in the program could receive volunteer hours or a small fee for their removal services. For more information on that program visit www.brant.ca/snowbuddy

“Other than a handful of concerns, the county did receive a lot of positive feedback,” said Demers of the road crews’recent efforts

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION ALERT!