Bring on the Snow! City Gears Up for Winter 2015-2016

For Immediate Release                    
Thursday, November 5, 2015

Bring on the Snow! City Gears Up for Winter 2015-2016

Preparations have started for the 2015-2016 winter season. City crews and equipment are ready for active winter services as of November 1. Contractor crews are ready for November 15. 

Planning starts with an annual training exercise, where more than 50 City and contractor snowplows, graders and other vehicles used for winter maintenance, check equipment and review plowing routes throughout the community. The exercise starts this week through to November 20.

This test run gives crews an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the routes as well as identify potential hazards, obstacles and operational challenges, before the winter season arrives. 

The City has a Winter Control Plan, based on City Council approved policy, which includes details on snow plowing standards, sidewalks, snow removal and technology used for winter control. A chart (attached to this email) outlining when crews are deployed, along with other information on winter operations including Frequently Asked Questions, plow standards for main and secondary roads, the overnight parking ban and winter driving tips and a driver’s checklist, can be found at www.greatersudbury.ca/winter. 

The City will issue advisories, as winter weather and snow events happen. Updates and information is posted on the City’s website and shared via social media including Twitter (@greatersudbury) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/greatersudbury).

The 2014-2015 Winter that was: 
•    Last year’s winter season started with the first major snowfall on October 31, 2014, when 11 cm of snow fell. The last snowfall came on April 1, 2015.
•    Total amount of snowfall during winter 2014-2015: 305.1 cm (compared to 312.9 during the 2013-2014 winter season).
•    Amount of sand/salt used in 2014-2015: 16,300 tonnes of salt (That would fill approximately 1,600 snowplow loads) and 75,186 tonnes (7,500 snowplow loads) of salt/sand mix. 
•    Service Area: Greater Sudbury consists of over 3,500 lane kilometers of roadway. Laid end-to-end, our road network would equal a single lane highway that would take you to the Mexico border at El Paso, Texas. 

Photo Caption: Ray Hunt, Operator with the City of Greater Sudbury's Roads and Transportation Services Division, is just one of the many crew members getting equipment ready for the winter season.

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