Snow clearing underway in Cornwall

Alycia Douglass
Snow clearing underway in Cornwall
Residential areas are considered secondary roads where snow clearing is concerned. (Alycia Douglass/TC Media)

CORNWALL, Ontario – With winter weather hitting the area like a ton of bricks, road conditions have quickly become a primary concern for most drivers.

This year, the city allotted $2,125,883 towards the winter control budget; determined by historical three-year averages. Division Manager for Municipal Works, Bill de Wit says that there is a lot more to winter maintenance than most people understand.

“People should understand that in terms of street snow plowing and salting, we have essentially two classes of streets,” said de Wit. “Main traffic arteries are always addressed first and foremost. Next, we address all other streets including residential as soon as possible after.”

The the City of Cornwall has roughly 275 kilometres of paved roads and over 175 kilometres of municipal sidewalks. Primary roads include critical emergency routes, and ensure clear access to medical facilities, places of employment, as well as businesses.

Winter Control includes labour, equipment and materials for plowing and salting of the streets, sidewalks, and various municipal parking lots. It also entails removal of accumulated snow from Downtown BIA, Le Village and prioritised streets with little or no snow storage capacity.

According to the City of Cornwall website, secondary roads are salted after snow has fallen and before freezing begins. However, conditions such as heavy snowfall and freezing rain can impact snow clearing efforts. In the event of freezing rain, all roads are treated immediately.

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