BEST PRACTICE IN

WINTER MAINTENANCE

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance Page |i

Best practices in Winter Maintenance

IFME: International Federation in Municipal Engineering

www.ifmeworld.org

IFME member countries that experience heavy winters have collaborated to share information and
practices in winter road maintenance.

Member countries that have provided sections of the attached report include: Finland, Denmark,
Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, USA and Canada.

Questions answered include background information on the winter conditions of each country,
clearing and haulage of snow practices, anti-skid treatments, city planning and future approaches
and prospects.
Download a copy of the report here: http://www.ifmeworld.org/viewdocument/best-practice-in-win

Comments and corrections on the report are welcome. Contact Ville Alatyppo.

Cover Image: Copyright freedomimage / 123RF Stock Photo

Table of Contents
BEST PRACTICE IN WINTER MAINTENANCE ............................................................................. i
1 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Finland ............................................................. 1
2 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Iceland ............................................................. 4
3 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Norway ............................................................ 7
4 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Sweden ............................................................ 8
5 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Est onia ............................................................. 9
6 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in Denmark ........................................................ 13
7 Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance in USA & Canada ............................................. 15

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | ii

Set of questions

• General information about the country’s winter conditions

o How many days with snow cover are there on average in a year?
o What are the average snowfall and thickness of snow cover in a winter?
o What is the length of a winter? (When is it counted to have begun and when to have
ended?
o What kind of winter maintenance policy does the country have?
§ Are, for example, streets closed in severe snow situations?

• Clearing and haulage of snow

o What are the action times and quality requirements of snow removal?
o How many snow dump sites do you have?
o Are sites close by used for storage of snow or is all snow hauled to snow dump sites?
o How many loads have been hauled per winter?

• Antiskid treatment
o What kind of salt and crushed stone are used for antiskid treatment?
o In what kind of conditions is antiskid treatment (salt or crushed stone) used?

• City planning
o What kind of planning solutions improving winter maintenance have been used in your
city?

• Future prospects
o cost efficiency
o environmental friendliness

Participating Countries / Associations:

• Finland Ville Alatyppö, Coordinator, [email protected]

• Denmark Michael Kirkfeldt, [email protected]
• Estonia Margus Metstak, [email protected]
• Iceland, Anna Gudrun Gylfadottir, [email protected]
• Norway, Jostein Vandaskog, [email protected]
• Sweden Hans Andersson, [email protected]
• USA & Canada R. Mark DeVries, [email protected]

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | iii

1 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Finland

1.1 General Information about the priority. When required, in certain street
Country’s Winter Conditions sections the pavement on one side can be
retained as a space for snow if pedestrian
Helsinki, Finland’s capital city, is located on the
passage has been arranged on the other side.
southern coast of Finland and winter conditions
Residential streets are cleared of snow only
vary from snowless to very snowy winters. On
after streets of public transport.
average there are 101 days with snow cover
per year in Helsinki. In the snowy winter of
2011 – 2012 there were 154 days with snow
1.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow
cover. Thermal winter usually begins towards In Helsinki streets have been divided into three
the end of November and lasts until the latter maintenance classes based on their urgency.
half of March. Class I includes the main streets, class II the
collector streets and class III the residential
The average depth of snow in Helsinki in the streets. There are separate quality
past thirty years is about 40 cm. The average requirements and action times for the
cumulative amount of snowfall is respectively maintenance classes for the removal of snow,
about 100 cm. slush and hard ridges of snow as well as for
antiskid treatment. The table below presents
Despite the snow, streets are not closed during the action times for clearing in different
winters and public transport routes are the first maintenance classes.

Act ion t ime Act ion t ime Act ion Act ion limit
Maint enance at dayt ime at night -t ime during (t hickness of
class cont inuous snow layer /
snowf all slush)
Class I, 3 hours by 7 a.m. carriageways to 5 cm /3 cm
carriageways be kept
trafficable
Class I, 4 hours by 7 a.m. 5 cm /3 cm
passageways
Class II, 4 hours by 7 a.m. carriageways to 5 cm /3 cm
carriageways be kept
trafficable
Class II, 4 hours by 10 a.m. 5 cm /3 cm
passageways
Class III, 3 weekdays 3 weekdays - 7 cm / 5 cm
carriageways
Class III, 8 hours by 12 noon 5 cm / 5cm
passageways

Haulage of snow to the snow dump sites is degrees centigrade that comes directly from a
started when the spaces for snow in the streets wastewater purification plant and the melt water
and nearby places of removal get full. There is finally led to the sea. The capacity of official
are eight official snow dump sites in Helsinki. snow dump sites is 200 000 loads i.e. 3 000
Of these one is a dump site by the sea, two are 000 m3 (load size about 15 m3). In snowy
melting tanks and five land dump sites. At the winters it is possible to take into use standby
dump site by the sea the snow is dumped from dump sites totaling about twenty. In total there
the pier straight into the sea. In the melting is room for approximately 300 000 loads of
tanks the snow is melted by purified snow at the official dump sites and standby
wastewater with a temperature of about 8 sites.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |1

Figure 1 presents the number of snow loads hauled to official dump sites in the years 2003 - 2013.

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

Figure 1. Hauled snow loads in 2003 - 2013

Before haulage of snow to the dump sites is widths. The slipperiness of zebra crossings
started, efforts are made to utilize as much as must be prevented to suit pedestrian needs.
possible nearby snow piling sites that are e.g.
unbuilt lots and park areas where snow can be In Helsinki removal of gritting material and dust
piled from nearby areas and be left to melt. binding are also included in winter
maintenance. The amount of street dust is
1.3 Antiskid Treatment actively monitored and on very dusty days
In Helsinki salt treatment is used as antiskid special measures are taken to reduce dust.
treatment on class I and II carriageways and Removal of gritting sand is started immediately
gritting is used on class III carriageways and when the conditions allow it, usually in mid-April
passageways. In salt treatment either and it takes maximum six weeks. Dust binding
dampened chloride based salt or diluted salt is is carried out with a ca. 5-10 % CaCl solution.
used so that the salt amounts can be kept low.
Dry salt is not used, neither other than chloride- 1.4 Preparing for the Winter
based deicers. On both carriageways and In 2011 The City of Helsinki has drawn up a
pavements wet-sieved crushed stone with a winter maintenance preparation plan that has
grain size of 2-5.6 mm is used as gritting been implemented and updated in the recent
material. years. The preparation plan is divided into two
parts: a) preparing for the winter and b)
The skidding of carriageways is prevented in preparing for an exceptional snow situation.
very slippery road conditions when black or wet
ice occurs. Advance salt treatment is carried The first part defines which tasks shall be
out before heavier snowfalls in order that the performed each year before the onset of winter.
snow will not form a hard ridge. Performing these tasks on time as an annual
continuous process every year ensures quick
Snow surface is gritted in places where it, due and smooth start-up of the snow work related to
to traffic, wears smooth or is in danger of being the first snowfall. Tasks included in the normal
worn smooth and very slippery as at stops, process of winter maintenance preparation
steep hills and in intersection areas. The base include e.g. inspection of the contractors’ winter
value of gritting is 150 g /m2. A carriageway or maintenance plans, starting the monitoring of
passageway with newly fallen loose snow, a snow thickness, inspection of the snow dump
surface cleared in below zero conditions or sites, deciding on wintertime parking
slush, does not have to be gritted. Routes arrangements and drawing up a communication
reserved for pedestrian use are gritted over plan.
their entire lengths and over their available

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |2

The second part of the preparation plan Snow storage sites / piling sites
includes the procedures and special actions Finland does not have a generally accepted
resulting from abundant snowfall. Essential dimensioning method for the storage of snow.
matters include defining the criteria for starting Hence, in practice, each city must resolve its
special actions and appointing the intermediate and final storage sites on its own.
management group of special actions. The
management group decides on the starting of Snow logistics as a whole
possible special actions. Since special actions In Finland the calculated need for snow storage
are not part of normal maintenance contracts, space has been determined for three different
starting them also requires additional financing types of winter (light snow cover, average and
exceeding the approved budget. The resources abundant snow cover). With the balance figure
of contractors are increased by all possible of snow storage space we aim to obtain a
means. realistic estimate by areas of the amount of
snow that can be held and not be held in the
Special actions are primarily focused on street environment. If the snow cannot be held
ensuring the smooth flow of public transport safely in the street area, it must be hauled to a
and functioning of the street network serving snow dump site. Snow balance calculation can
public safety in a manner and in the order be used to assess the functioning of the entire
specifically determined by the management snow logistics in different areas.
group. Matters to be decided by the
management group include e.g. focusing of In Finland planning solutions improving winter
special actions and the quality level of service, maintenance have hardly been implemented at
reinforcement of parking arrangements, vehicle all. Details of the street environment that
removal operation and communication about obstruct winter maintenance have been
situations. clarified. These details include e.g. bollards of
traffic areas, narrow cross sections, sharp
1.5 City Planning edges in the street structure etc. These issues
Parking can already in some way be taken into
Street side parking is quite common in Finland. consideration in street planning, but not yet
Street side parking slows down winter sufficiently.
maintenance considerably. The City can move
vehicles out of the way of maintenance Snow logistics also has an essential influence
provided that information about maintenance in reducing street dust. Helsinki has, together
work has been given at least 48 hours before with other cities, studied the best practices of
the work. Helsinki has invested in external winter maintenance to control street dust in an
communication in order that as many vehicle EU-financed research project (REDUST). The
owners as possible would move their vehicles project ends in 2013.
themselves.
1.6 Future Prospects
Several big cities have started to build In Finland the condensing urban structure,
underground parking facilities in their centers, environmental and operation reliability
but the reason is rather the condensing urban requirements and society’s economic
structure than maintenance related development are strongly focused on the snow
considerations. However, people do not stop logistics of cities. Snow may no longer be left
street side parking in the condensing urban on the street side for such a long time to wait
structure and this exerts more pressure on the for haulage away and the final snow storage
usability of parking places in the winter time, as sites are located increasingly far away. It is for
well. these reasons that snow logistics must be
improved and also the economic utilization of
snow melting facilities is considered.

New snow treatment methods (regional snow

loading by centrifugation, regional intermediate
snow storage sites etc.) are gradually taken
into use.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |3

2 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Iceland
2.1 General Information about the 2.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow
Country’s Winter Conditions In Reykjavík, streets have been divided into
Reykjavík is the capital city in Iceland. It is four maintenance classes based on their
located on the south west coast of Iceland. urgency. Priority 1 includes the main streets,
Reykjavik has average 61,3 days of snow, but Priority 2 the collector streets, Priority 3 the
Akureyri (north of Iceland), the number is through streets and Priority 4 are local streets.
100,3. Winter can vary from middle of October
and lasts until late April. There are separate quality requirements and
action times for the maintenance priority for the
Average of snowfall in Reykjavík is about 10 removal of snow, slush and hard ridges of snow
mm. In Akureyri the thickness is 22 mm. as well as for antiskid treatment. - The table
below presents the action times for clearing in
Like in Finland, despite the snow, streets in different maintenance priority.
Iceland are not closed during winter and public
transport routes are the first priority. When This schedule for Reykjavík is:
required, in certain street sections the
pavement on one side can be retained as a Priority 1: Main streets and important
space for snow if pedestrian passage has been connection roads, emergency
arranged on the other side. Residential streets service. Always.
are cleared of snow only after streets of public Priority 2: Collector streets and bus routes.
transport. Always in the morning, then when
needed.
Priority 3: Through street. Every other round,
but only once per day.
Priority 4: Local street. When needed, when
snow load is heavy or very icy.
Priority B: Parking.
Priority G: Sidewalks and bus station.

Priorit y Serv ice Act ion Clearing First Max Limit ed

t ime t ime t ime act ion / snow v iew.
All day snow dept h
t hickness
hrs. hrs. cm cm day
1 04 - 22 0,5 2 2 5 1
2 07 - 22 1,0 3 5 10 1
3 08 - 21 1,5 3 7 12 1
4 08 - 21 15

B 08 - 17

G1a 07 - 18 1,0 5/4

G1 08 - 18 1,0 5/4
G2 12 - 18 1,0 10/8
G3 Within 24 hrs.
G4 Clearing is later.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |4

Sidewalks and biking routes are always cleared places are approved by the Health department.
by certain priority: After the situation has been stabilized the snow
is transferred further away and usually the
Service 1a: Biking routes. Cleared from 04:00- snow is dumped in to the sea.
07:30
Service 1b: Walking paths, priority. Cleared How many loads have been hauled per winter?
from kl. 04:00-08:00 This is different. Depends on how much snow
Service 2: Walking path. Cleared from 04:00- there is every year. In South/West corner about
12:00 2 – 3 times. Up North this is much more. About
Service 3: Sidewalks in local streets. Cleared 5 – 7 times.
when all above is cleared.
2.3 Antiskid Treatment
In Reykjavík, the action starts when the snow is In Reykjavík salt spreading is used as antiskid
about 2 cm. But that is where the streets have treatment on main roads, Priority 1 and Priority
the highest priority. In streets with lower priority, 2. For parking, sidewalk and smaller roads in
when the snow is about 5 – 7 cm thick. towns, sand is used.
Cities in Iceland have average about 5 -7 Requirements for salt is: grain distribution,
dumpsite places. Almost every town in Iceland NaCl, Kalíumferrocyanid, solubility in water
is located close to the sea. Usually, first action and water content.
is to store the snow close by. Some storage

Grain distribution:
Thru sieve Weight%

500 µm will go thru 0 - 10

1 mm will go thru 0 - 30
2 mm will go thru 20 - 65
4 mm will go thru 65 - 100
8 mm will go thru 95 - 100

Solubility in water: min 97,0 %

Chemical composition: NaCl min 95,0 % (solid)
............. Kaliumferrocyanid min 100 ppm, max 200 ppm
Water content: max 4,0 %

No requirements are for appearance, but the First actions for antiskid treatment on main
salt should be free of foreign objects, grease roads is salt. But in the condition when the
and smell. temperature reaches x degrees then usage of
For some years, ursalt has been used on the salt is not possible.
highway. Ursalt is a salt that has been used in
the fish industry. The salt is used three times to Parking, sidewalks and local streets, sand is
make bacalao (salted codfish). After that, it is usually used.
no longer fit for use. Instead of disposing it, it
can be used as an salt for antiskid treatment. The removal of gritting material starts
The usage of ursalt is still on the experimental immediately when the conditions allow it,
stage. middle of April.

Grain distribution for sand is 2-8mm. 2.4 Preparing for the winter
When the forecast is snow or ice, the Winter maintenance is divided in to two
administrator gives orders. Within 30 min. categories roads vs. sidewalks.
action starts and is on and first passage is The city of Reykjavík makes a contract with a
within 2 hrs. contractor for winter maintenance on main

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |5

roads and carriageways. The contract is for Snow storage sites / piling sites
three years with possibility of extension. The No planned snow storage sites are in Iceland.
inspectors make sure that all equipment is in In Reykjavík the health department has
order in the beginning of the winter season. approved their storage sites. The urban
structure of street has been taken to
Different contract is made with a contractor for consideration. Like sharp edges, structure,
cleaning snow from sidewalks and biking routs. parking, etc.
The contract is for one year with possibility of
extension. The inspectors make sure that all Snow logistics as a whole
equipment is in order in the beginning of the In Iceland the winter can be very different from
winter season. one year to the next. Storing sites are used if
possible. Every city has it own plan for winter
2.5 City Planning maintenance.
Parking
Street side parking is quite common in Iceland. 2.6 Future Prospects
This slows down winter maintenance. But The future in Reykjavík city is to lower cost in
vehicles are left alone in the parking spot. winter maintenance. That will be done by better
Today in big private buildings, underground usage of salt, better equipment’s, better and
parking is part of the structure. Also, Reykjavík more detailed plans etc. Snow is not left on the
is the only city in Iceland that has built a streets for long time.
underground parking facilities in the city center.
This is because there is not too much parking Usage of more environmental equipment’s in
space in the city Center. hauling the snow and in antiskid treatment.
Also use more environmental materials in
When designing streets, the grass between antiskid treatment to minimize pollution. Look in
street and sidewalk is thought as a storage for to more frequent street cleaning (dust). Ways to
snow. use ursalt, it is less expensive, no need to
transport it long distances.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |6

3 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Norway

3.1 General Information about the In the lowland east of the mountains the climate
Country’s Winter Conditions is drier with low winter-temperatures down to –
20 ºC, occasionally down to -30 ºC and -40 ºC.
Norway has 428 municipals in 19 counties
Along the coast the winter-temperatures often
trough-out the country, which stretches 1700
varies around 0 ºC, and rarely below –10 ºC.
kilometers from the southernmost to the
But the western parts often have difficult winter
northernmost point of mainland at 71 degrees
conditions due to a lot of rain, snow and wind
north. Norway has a very long coastline with
which changes rapidly. In addition, the moist
deep fjords and many islands. The most
climate along the sea often causes humidity to
populated areas are the south-eastern lowlands
freeze to black ice on the roads. In recent
(close to Oslo) and along the southern and
years’ problems with freezing rain and rain on
western coast. The smallest municipals have a
frozen roads has become more frequent,
population of 200, and the biggest, the capital
especially in the eastern parts.
Oslo, has a population of 620 000.
In the mountains there are many snowstorms
The climate varies very much according to
during winter, increasing as you go further north.
latitude, height above sea-level and location
This causes roads crossing the mountains
east or west of the mountain-range along the
having to close or administering convoys for the
middle of the country. Due to the Golf-stream
vehicles to pass safely. Some roads in the
the climate along the coast is relatively mild
mountains close for the winter. They are plowed
compared with other parts of the world at the
in the spring when snow-falls and storms are
same latitude.
less lightly.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |7

 Climate-zones
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5
Number of winter, 152 173 157 206 201
days
Snow-depth 41 cm 55 cm 41cm 63cm 72cm
Precipitation as snow 158 mm 225 mm 258 mm 332 mm 248 mm
Precipitation as rain 830 mm 734 mm 1,632 mm 860 mm 603 mm
Mean temp. Jan C° -3 -6 0.7 -3.3 -7.8
Mean temp. March C° 1.1 -1.4 2.6 -1.6 -3.3

It is not possible to determine which local the road in general should be clear of snow and
practice in winter maintenance is the best, as ice. Approximate 20 % of the total maintenance
the whole country is populated and practices budget for national and county roads is
vary according to the local climate. connected to winter maintenance.

3.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow The municipals are responsible for clearing of
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration snow on the municipal roads (38 970 km).
(NPRA) is responsible for all maintenance Many municipals use contractors, and many
activities on national roads (10 580 km) and combine contractors with their own work-force.
county roads (44 320 km). They use Standards and configuration of contracts vary a
contractors that perform all kinds of lot. In general municipals serve a lower
maintenance according to a set of pre-defined standard The Norwegian Public Roads
qualities and standards. All national and county Administration, but the largest cities often
roads are classified according to traffic-volume provide the same level. In some regions it is a
and importance. Based on this classification tradition that the municipal own and service the
they are maintained to different standards. The snow-clearing equipment that the contractors
best standard (important national roads) is that use on their tractors.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |8

4 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Sweden

4.1 General Information about the information systems and the extensive number
Country’s Winter Conditions of measuring points available to support the
Sweden has a population of a little over 9.8 decision making process, Sweden has
million inhabitants, 290 municipalities and 21 significantly increased prospects for successful
counties. With an area of 447,435 square snow removal and deicing.
kilometers, Sweden is the fifth largest country
4.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow
in Europe, geographically.
Readiness is a very burdensome expense,
All of Sweden experiences some kind of winter and only by having the emergency response
each year, but the climate provides for varying organization impose significant price pressure
types of winter road conditions in different in contracts has Sweden been able to lower
parts of the country. Within the discipline of costs for winter road maintenance. Through
meteorology one usually refers to averages this cooperation local governments are able to
experienced in the past to specify what is provide more winter maintenance activity
considered to be "normal". According to overall and for less money.
normal standards, winter starts around the
second week of October in northern Sweden Dispatch criteria for winter maintenance
(Norrland), while it starts at the end of January actions includes snow depth and the degree of
in southern Sweden (Götaland). The first day cold snow versus wet snow, and vary across
with snow cover will normally be the first week the country depending on standard conditions
of October in the far North, but the second and the quality objectives of each municipality.
week of December in the far South. These are There are often differentiated objectives for
averages and the dates may vary from year to bus routes, downtown streets, pedestrian and
year. Maps for these normal, average values bicycle paths, residential streets, and
are available by visiting the SMHI website. municipal property. A decision to dispatch is
(Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological often difficult, particularly when it comes to
Institute, www.smhi.se.) A link for an English choosing the extent of the operation, since
version is provided. there are many resources and large
workforces to be activated. An example of a
In addition to weather forecasting from media dispatch criteria is 2 cm of snow depth (1 mm
outlets, detailed information is also available of rain is approximately equal to 1 cm of snow
through the Swedish Transportation depth) for pedestrian paths and stairs, 3 cm for
Administration’s (Trafikverket) official weather bike lanes, and 4 cm for the streets. With
information system. It consists of 775 data sleet, the 2 cm criterion applies for all three
stations measuring: surface temperature; air instances, however.
temperature; humidity; type and amount of
precipitation; and wind speed and direction. Good visibility and accessibility to pedestrian
Data stations are strategically placed where paths and driving lanes is important so that
there is a serious risk of slipping. Individual pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely.
municipalities may also arrange for tailored Hauling of the snow becomes necessary when
road weather services with individual weather windrows and snowbanks prevent visibility and
companies. In recent years the winters have accessibility, and when there is no more room
been both snowy and long in many parts of for storage within the roadway area or
Sweden. The question has not been if adjacent land. Other reasons for removal may
extreme situations will occur but rather, when be that snow embankments pose danger to
they will occur. The weather is never entirely third parties or may cause damage to public or
predictable, but with this variety of weather private property.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |8

After a long and snowy winter, the amount of forms is the most common. The direct friction-
snow hauled in major cities amounts to several enhancing materials are dominated by sand
hundred thousand cubic meters. The haulage and different types of crushed rock. Often a
of snow is therefore a costly endeavour for the combination of friction-enhancing materials
requestor. It is important that storage facilities and a thawing agent is used; generally road
are available and marked on maps so that the salt and sand are mixed in these products.
hauler can quickly and effectively haul away
the snow. For anti-skid agents, there are essentially two
different methods of use: preventative and
The transport of snow puts stress on the remedial. The preventative spread of road salt
environment and the snow storage must be is carried out when ice has not yet been
nearby in order to keep haul distances to formed, but is expected to occur. The
reasonable levels. During a snowy winter, it is remedial spread of a thawing agent is done to
also common for snow dumps and landfills to melt already existing snow or ice on the
be filled up long before the winter is over. roadway.

A dozen municipalities use the ocean, lakes, A method of using warm, wetted sand has
or other water systems for snow dumping. been tested in recent winters for skid control
The issue is controversial and its reliability as on pedestrian and bike paths in Umeå. The
a long-term strategy is also influenced by Swedish National Road and Transport
approvals for tipping in the ocean, lakes, or Research Institute (VTI) has evaluated the
other water systems. Current tipping results of several tests in its Report No. 796
approvals are limited in duration and must be (2013) (www.vti.se). The method uses a mix
re-examined regularly. Seeking alternative of coarse and fine sand mixed with scolding
solutions may be necessary in the future to hot water at the moment of application. The
come to grips with the problem. effect will be that the sand adheres to the cold
surface through a process of melting and
Sundsvall's hospitals are using snow as a freezing, providing an immediate friction-
resource to produce cooling. The method is enhancing effect. The study of the application
not new, but is very beneficial. The of warm, wetted sand is limited, and like
consumption of both refrigerants and electricity traditional sanding, melting temperatures are a
has declined significantly for the hospital and drawback. One of the conclusions of VTI’s
there is less impact on the environment as a study is that the method can be good for
result. The principle of snow-cooling is as separated pedestrian and bicycle paths. In
simple as it is ingenious. During the winter the regards to environmental impact, one should
snow from the parking lot and surrounding note that the wetted sand releases some
streets is tipped in a large pit. In the spring, smaller grains of sand into the air. Further
the pit is covered with insulating wood chips study will include, among other things, the
and when the snow slowly melts the cold water evaluation of the impact that warm wetted
is pumped into the cooling system. Two heat sanding has on air quality.
exchangers lead the warmed water back into
the pit which in turn melts more snow. Read Research and development of possible
more about the Sundsvall project at alternative anti-skid agents is helping to
http://www.snowpower.se (Click the British reduce dependence on road salt. One of the
flag in left top corner for English version.) methods that has comparatively less
environmental impact is a sugar solution.
4.3 Antiskid Treatment Studies have shown that an admixture of
Anti-skid agents are usually divided into two sugar and road salt (glucose/saline) can
groups: thawing and friction-enhancing. reduce the use of road salt and has equal skid
Among the thawing agents, road salt in various resistance to that of a saturated salt solution.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |9

When it comes to different types of heated With the correct information, clearly identified
roadways, energy consumption will most likely geographically, the most is accomplished
limit use if the strategy gains popularity in the (won) in winter maintenance. It is important to
future. While the development of heated review what and how to communicate between
roadways is in progress, a new technology that different groups in order to achieve a properly
can be likened to geothermal energy, where functioning system. Winter maintenance is a
the asphalt is used to generate heat, which is concern of not only the maintenance
then stored for the cold season, is providing managers, operational leaders,
hope for more reasonable energy communicators, and operators, but also to
consumption. municipal administrators, local residents, and
vendors. A municipality's winter budget, as is
4.4 Preparing for the Winter commonly known, is rarely sufficient to cater to
Some of the incidents and damage that occur all parties’ requirements and wishes.
each year is due to lack of routine inspection Optimizing and communicating are critical.
of the maintenance section and infrastructure
prior to any snowfall. Accurate knowledge and The main groups involved in the winter
thorough documentation of maintenance maintenance communication are municipal
sections increases the safety for snow removal governments, local residents and the
operators and road users who can be alerted performers (operators/contractors). These
to important conditions ahead. The operators groups communicate in all directions, but to
are most effective if they are knowledgeable of different extents. Communication can be
the maintenance areas before the winter roughly divided into two types: internal and
maintenance begins. external. Internal communication takes place
between the Administration and the
A typical example of some requirements set in performer/s and external communication takes
a contract document for bidding winter road place between local authorities and local
maintenance: "The contractor is required to residents (users).
orient themselves (survey) and have good
knowledge of the conditions in the area to be As a general rule, it is when the winter season
maintained. This applies particularly to free starts that the complaints, and therefore the
heights at viaducts, confined spaces, special information needs, are the greatest.
alignments of roads, gravel areas, curbs, Therefore, it is important that the municipality
widths, green space, controller cabinets, is active early with up-to-date information on
drainage structures adjacent to the pedestrian winter road maintenance.
and bicycle tunnels.” In the survey, in which
Technical management of road maintenance
the operator of the winter maintenance vehicle
includes many specialities. Knowledge of all
for the area shall be involved, and all damage
aspects is important to assure effectiveness of
and deficiencies shall be documented
work tasks. In small municipalities, many work
(preferably with GPS position on a map) and
alone with unanswered questions about winter
photographed. Documentation and
maintenance and often face problems which
photographs are to be submitted to the
are difficult to solve. It takes a long time to
requestor no later than September 30. In
grasp the whole picture. It is important to have
conjunction with the survey, the contractor
professional resources and a sounding board
shall note any streets where the contractor
both inside and outside the municipality.
determines that it will be difficult to address the
Through collaboration and networking one can
full width, and a plan for how that can be
improve overall thinking and open up cross-
handled. The report shall also address
border solutions.
appropriate locations for snow storage in each
district.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 10

There are examples in Germany where local By Gudrun Öberg and Anna K. Arvidsson.
authorities successfully partnered on the Research commissioned by the Swedish
purchase and storage of anti-skid materials to Association of Local Authorities and Regions
ensure sufficient access throughout the (SALAR), conducted at the Swedish National
season. Before this partnering the salt Road and Transport Institute, Linköping.
suppliers criticized local authorities because Report 2012.
they had too little storage capacity for salt, and
consequently raised prices sharply for Overall, the study shows that the cost to
purchases during the winter season. The joint society for pedestrians injured as a result of
purchase and storage allowed for more salt to snow and ice is about twice as high as the cost
be purchased at reasonable prices. of winter maintenance. The municipality of
Solna, is given as an example, where the
4.5 City Planning hospital costs for pedestrian injuries was three
Wisdom and creativity are needed to conserve times higher than the total cost of winter
resources for snow removal, snow storage, maintenance. Not included were injured that
and snow tipping, not only for budgetary seek non-hospital health care or do not seek
reasons, but also for land and environmental medical care for their injury at all.
resource concerns. Creative work is fragile;
The project's aim was to analyze if there is any
gaining cooperation across municipal
difference whether it is the municipality or the
boundaries in free permissive forms is
property owner who conducts the winter
important.
maintenance, but was not answered, because
To get maximum capacity in snow logistics as there is insufficient data.
a whole, there is a need for an effective
e-Adept, GPS for pedestrians
system of resource and route planning. A
digital platform to track and record vehicles, GPS for pedestrians is an applied project run
workload, performance, and distribution routes by the Västra Götaland region. Coordinated
is necessary for both management and client by Torbjörn Lahrin, Astando AB. The project's
needs. The reports should be easy to read main funders are PTS, the Stockholm City
and an important consideration is which Accessibility Project, Trafikverket (the former
statistics, planning guidelines, and efficiency National Road Administration, the Swedish
analyses one can get out of the system. Also, Rail Administration) and the City of Malmö.
these operation logs provide a basis for:
liability claims tied to flaws in winter road The end product will be a support for people
maintenance; invoicing of services; and with disabilities and the elderly, so that they
comparitive analysis. Such a system also can get out on their own and participate in
reduces material consumption and reduces the society. The product should work the same
set times. Hence the system quickly recoups way as a car navigation system but fixed for
the acquisition cost (i.e. pays for itself). pedestrians. To create a GPS for pedestrians
a digital pedestrian/road network is needed for
4.6 Future Prospects the entire municipality or a test area, a test or
Briefly listed below are three current research implementation project, mobile phones and
and development projects on Swedish winter positioning devices, planning for the provision
road practices. of server functions, and the establishment of
user support.
Injured Pedestrians – The Cost of Pedestrian
Injuries Compared to Winter Maintenance Dust minimized operation and maintenance of
Costs. paved roads – measures and strategies

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 11

Gustafsson, Mats; Blomqvist, Göran and (avoid small fractions); and the material
Jonsson, Per. VTI report 701, 2011. This fragmentation resistance and hardness.
project aims, among other things, to map the
dimensions that are important for a road High amounts of PM10 have been measured
paving’s dust forming properties, provide a at the cleanup after the winter season. If
systematic review of the effect of various winter sand is swept up, the amount of PM10
operational measures to reduce the amount of is reduced. Sweeping up as soon as possible
inhalation particles and to formulate policy after the season and seizing as much as
proposals to minimize dust in all road possible of the output-laid material is
maintenance operations for Swedish recommended. The collected material can be
conditions. reused. If winter conditions arise after the
sweeping, it is appropriate to use MgCl2
In summary, the following factors are important (magnesium chloride), SMA (calcium
for PM10 (inhalable particulate matter) magnesium acetate), CaCl 2 (calcium
formation from winter sanding: the amount of chloride), or formate. These also work as dust
sand spread and accumulated in the road suppressants. The risk of corrosion and
environment; the size of the material fractions environmental impact must be considered.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 12

5 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Estonia

5.1 General Information about and rain. In Helsinki, on the other hand, winter
weather is often dominated by the Northern
the Country’s Winter
cyclones from the Arctic Ocean, bringing dry
Conditions cold air. In the Gulf of Finland, the ice cover
Estonian capital Tallinn is situated on the always forms first on the Northern coast
southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The around the area of Helsinki, then on the
distance from the nearest capital, Helsinki, is Southern coast of the bay.
approximately 80 km so the weather
conditions are quite similar. Last winter in Tallinn, compared to the
previous ones, was exceptionally mild and
In the course of the last decade, circulation of lacking of snow. The daily temperatures did
atmosphere in Northern Europe has changed not fall permanently below zero until January
a little. Although the distance between Helsinki 11, which is one and a half months later than
and Tallinn is only 80 kilometres, the climatic average (November 19). The daily
conditions in the neighbouring capitals are temperatures ascended above zero in
somewhat different. In the winter, Tallinn faces February 22, which is three weeks earlier than
cyclones from the West which bring warmth, average (March 14).
humidity and precipitation in the form of slush

Below are the numbers of days in Tallinn with snow cover:

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Winter 2012/13 6 4 31 31 28 31
Winter 2013/14 0 2 10 21 12 7
Median average 1971-2000 5 11 21 24 24 21

On an average year, permanent snow cover is on the ground from December 19 to March 9 when it
starts to disintegrate. In winter 2013/14, snow cover duration in Tallinn was only 30 days.

Below is average thickness of snow cover in cm during the winter months in Tallinn:
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Winter 2012/13 2 2 21 7 23 29
Winter 2013/14 0 0 2 6 4 3
Median average 1971-2000 0 2 4 8 12 9

The maximum thickness of snow cover:

• 2013/2014 - 15 cm (measured on January 17)
• 2012/2013 – 35 cm (measured on March 5)

Throughout history, the greatest thickness of snow cover, 62 cm, was measured on 3 January 2010.

Below are the numbers of precipitation days:

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Winter 2012/13 11 11 8 10 5
Winter 2013/14 16 17 10 10 6
Median average 1971-2000 14 14 12 9 9

In Tallinn, year-round cleaning of public Municipal Engineering Services Department.

transport streets and green areas, including Cleaning of the side streets and the streets of
winter maintenance, is organized by Tallinn

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a ge |9

internal quarters is organized by District • Class 1 - 36 hours for removing slush form
governments. roadway; 24 hours for de-icing; 12 hours for
cleaning sidewalks.
Winter Maintenance is carried out by • Class 2 - 12 hours for removing slush form
contractual partners that are pursued in public roadway; 8 hours for de-icing; 12 hours for
procurement procedure. cleaning sidewalks.
• Class 3 - 5 hours for removing slush form
5.2 Clearing and Hauling of Snow roadway; 4 hours for de-icing; 8 hours for
The streets of Tallinn are divided into four class removing snow and salt mixture from
categories: carriageway
• Class 4 - 2 hours for removing snow and
• Class 1 - side streets in a low-intensity. slush from roadway; 6 hours for cleaning
Some (up to 10 cm) snow and ice on the sidewalk and bicycle lanes, and de-icing.
road surface is acceptable; de-icing is
carried out only in hazardous locations. Tallinn uses seven locations for hauling and
• Class 2 - side streets in a medium- storing snow. The deposit sites are evenly
intensity, internal residential streets. Some distributed throughout the territory of the city so
(up to 8 cm) snow and ice on the road that distance from cleaning sites is less than 5
surface is acceptable; de-icing is carried out km. Last winter, 1700 loads of snow was
over the whole route. hauled; in 2012/13, the corresponding number
• Class 3 - public transport streets, sidewalks was 4310.
and pavement running trails. Car trails
must be kept snow- and ice-free; de-icing is Snow is cleared and hauled from public
carried out over the whole route. transport stops, intersections, bridges, and
• Class 4 - high-intensity public transport narrow streets used by public transport.
streets, sidewalks and roadways.
Completely snow- and ice-free; de-icing is Since the streets of Tallinn Old Town are very
carried out over the whole route. narrow, snow is also regularly removed from
there during the winter.
The duration of maintenance cycle i.e. the
period during which the required state level Tallinn has two Squares: Freedom Square and
from the beginning of slickness and formation the City Hall Square - the snow is also carried
of snow must be ensured: away from both and granite splinters are used
against slipperiness.

Number of snow loads (about 15 m³ each) hauled in 2008-2014:

Period 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11 2011/ 12 2012/ 13 2013/ 14
Loads 1870 14 270 40 600 1770 4310 1710

5.3 Antiskid Treatment formation of skid is the expected time street

Tallinn uses salt treatment against slickness on rises need to be de-iced.
roadways. Next come pedestrian crossings at
intersections and waiting areas for public
The objects of high priority antiskid treatment transport stops. These streets belong to Class
are public transport streets and street 3 and Class 4 categories.
rises/hills. Slippery hills can cause kilometers
of congestion, and because of the many cars, it Granite splinters are used in Old Town,
is not possible to carry out a quick street sidewalks, bicycle routes and waiting areas for
salting. According to the agreement called “less public transport stops, gravel splinter size 2-6
than 20 minutes’ hills maintenance”, twenty mm is allowed. The use of sand as an antiskid
minutes from the beginning of the snow or the treatment is forbidden.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 11

 Although inhabitants and car owners are
In specific climatic conditions, it is acceptable to actively notified about these regulations by city
use a mixture of salt and granite splinters. authorities, there are still ones who disregard
them, which makes clearing the snow very
5.4 Preparing for the Winter time-consuming.
Before each winter season, contractors submit
their winter maintenance equipment and snow Snow storage / piling sites
storage sites to be reviewed by representatives The storing of the snow hauled from the streets
of the city. demanded particular attention in the winter of
2010/2011. Tallinn used a total of eleven piling
In April 2014 - May 2014, Municipal sites for snow, all evenly located within the city
Engineering Services Department is organizing territory. To ensure the maximum capacity of
a public procurement to find a long-term the snow storage sites, snow was repositioned
contractor for year-round street maintenance. on sites. Because extremely low temperatures
are rarely long-lasting in Tallinn, snow layering
Each autumn before the season of winter is not utilized for storage.
maintenance, the curbs of roadways and
sidewalks are inspected for nearby objects like Seeing the overflow of snow on the streets,
flowerpots, benches, restriction rocks etc. To many estate owners even offered their free
prevent breaking the winter maintenance land to store the excess snow!
equipment, these objects are shifted further
from the curb to accommodate the snow Snow logistics as a whole
ploughed from the roadway. Every maintenance region of the city has its
own snow deposit site.
5.5 City Planning
The decision about need for haulage and the
Around the areas of apartment buildings that location of the site is made operatively in the
were built around thirty years ago, car parking maintenance location depending on each
spaces were not established. Today, as the situation; it is possible due to the wide range of
number of vehicles has multiplied, apartment deposit sites.
societies in collaboration with city authorities
have diligently started to expand parking areas
5.6 Future Prospects
around apartment buildings. This in turn has
made the winter maintenance around these For the sake of good upkeep of the city, it
areas more complex and time-consuming. would be advised to arrange even capacious
haulage of the snow. This in turn raises an
New construction projects must receive an issue of the capability to melt the deposited
approbation from the maintenance division of snow.
the Municipal Engineering Services
Department. Construction specifications must
enable mechanical cleaning of the streets in
winter.

Parking
Street-side parking is problematic. In Old Town,
winter parking regulations are set, by which the
parking area is divided into two parts. During
the winter, parking is prohibited in different
areas on odd and even dates. Winter parking
regulations are harsher because of the
anticipated need for clearing the snow.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 12

6 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in Denmark

6.1 General Information about the Municipalities are responsible for all other
Country’s Winter Conditions public roads. The winter maintenance differ
Denmark has a costal climate which means from municipality to municipality, but mainly all
that the weather is primarily wet and cold, with public roads are open all the winter.
many days of freezing wet roads, but only Municipalities has the right to prioritise. This
snowy a few days a year. The cold period is 21 means, that they give priority to the
November to 22 March. Daytime temperature maintenance of more significant transport
is below 6 degrees on average in this period. routes. The maintenance classification should
be performed separately for vehicle traffic,
Different parts of Denmark are only one or two and footways and cycle paths.
days a Year covered by snow in a snowstorm,
until main roads and bridges are closed. This
situation will only be of one or two days, but it
can be winter with more than minus 5 degrees
for one or two weeks every Year. Average
snowfall and thickness of snow cover in a
winter varies from 6,8 cm on average in
January to a few cm the rest of the winter.

Mainly all roads are open all the Year around.

The State is responsible for State Roads, and
Municipalities are responsible for all other
public roads. The winter maintenance differs
from municipality to municipality, but mainly all
public roads are open all the winter.

Municipalities has the right to prioritise. This

means, that they give priority to the
maintenance of more significant transport 6.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow
routes. The maintenance classification should Most winter maintenance are covered by
be performed separately for vehicle traffic, and salting, and it is very effective to keep roads,
footways and cycle paths. cycle routes and pedestrian areas free of snow
and ice. Ploughing are only critical factors
Different parts of Denmark are only one or two some shorter periods a Year.
days a Year covered by snow in a snowstorm,
until main roads and bridges are closed. This Copenhagen’s winter maintenance processes
situation will only be of one or two days, but it are among the most effective. The city lives up
can be winter with more than minus 5 degrees to its cycling city reputation in summer and
for one or two weeks every Year. Average winter, as the efficient and proactive use of salt
snowfall and thickness of snow cover in a prevents the cycle paths from icing over,
winter varies from 6,8 cm on average in keeping the cycling conditions safe throughout
January to a few cm the rest of the winter. the year. Thanks to good winter maintenance,
cycling is a quick and efficient alternative to
Mainly all roads are open all the Year around. other kinds of transport, even in the wintertime.
The State is responsible for State Roads, and

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 13

6.3 Preparing for the Winter particularly high maintenance quality level. The
Winter maintenance is mainly organized based network is used to inform the citizens of the
on the weather conditions, which vary from routes that are suitable for pedestrians and
municipality. cyclists throughout the year, regardless of the
weather. Cyclists and pedestrians must be
There is not a lot of snow in the winter, but sure that the route is always going to be safe
slipperiness often causes problems. This to use.
means that most winter maintenance are
covered by effective salting, and ploughing are
only critical factors a few days some periods a
Year. Most municipalities use salt, but some
municipalities use sand together with a small
amount of salt on minor roads I rural areas.

6.5 Future Prospects

In Copenhagen, one of the top bicycling cities
of the world, the transportation by bicycle
covers op to 45 % of all journeys between the
inhabitant’s home and work or study places
over the year. Copenhagen has set a goal of
50 % transport by bicycle and are planning
and upgrading cycling conditions every year.
6.4 City Planning The bicycle report says that more than 75 % of
Thanks to good winter maintenance, cycling is all Copenhageners feel safe when they cycle
a quick and efficient sort of transport, even in in Copenhagen, even during the winter.
the wintertime in many parts of Denmark.
Many municipalities have different goals for
But in cities, where bicycling policy are seen bicycling and are working hard to raise the
as a vital sort of transport, the have prioritized level of bicycle transport all of the year.
a network of routes to be maintained at a

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 14

7 Best Practices in Winter Maintenance in USA & Canada

7.1 General Information about the • Collector Secondary Streets 2nd Priority,
City’s Winter Conditions • Residential Streets 3rd Priority,
7.1.1 Ottawa, Canada • Alleys 4th Priority,
Ottawa is Canada’s capital city and is located • Downtown Snow Hauling 5th Priority,
between Toronto and Montreal within the • Hauling of Arterials, Collectors and
province of Ontario. Winter usually begins Residential Streets as needed 6th
towards the middle of November and lasts until Priority.
the end of March but winter weather monitoring
and patrolling begins Oct 1 and extends to the 7.1.3 Ministry of Transportation,
end of April. Province of Ontario, Canada
o How many days with snow cover are there
The yearly average snowfall over the last 25 on average in a year?
years was 226cm and has varied between a 150 days on average
minimum of 100cm and a maximum of 370cm.
On average, there are 61 days of snowfall. o What are the average snowfall and
thickness of snow cover in a winter?
Temperatures throughout the winter season Average snowfall 150 cm. Average snow
generally vary between -30°C and +5°C. The depth 25 cm
warmer temperatures result in some thawing
during the winter season such that the 40yr o What is the length of a winter? (When is it
average snow on ground is about 35cm. counted to have begun and when to have
Additionally, with the warmer temperatures ended?
comes an average of 178mm of rain and 67 October 15-April 15 in the south part of the
hours of freezing rain during the winter season. province, Sept 15-May 15 in the north
Freezing rain and flash freezes in particular
present challenges for winter maintenance o What kind of winter maintenance policy
especially on sidewalks and residential roads. does the country have?
• Are for example streets closed in severe
7.1.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA snow situations?
o How many days with snow cover are there
on average in a year? There are five categories of winter maintenance
110 days on average service. Categories describe the time allowed
o What are the average snowfall and to begin operations, plowing and salting circuit
thickness of snow cover in a winter? times, and the maximum time allowed to
Average snowfall 40 inches, restore bare pavement after a storm. Maximum
Average snow depth 11.8 inches allowable depth of snow is implied by circuit
o What is the length of a winter? (When is it time and average snowfall rate – 90% of storms
counted to have begun and when to have are less than 2cm per hour. The standards are
ended? based on performance rather than on details of
November 1st - April 15th. how the work is done. The highway categories
o What kind of winter maintenance policy are discriminated by traffic volume.
does the country have?
In order to make the most efficient use of 7.2 Clearing and Haulage of Snow
available resources, we have established 7.2.1 Ottawa, Canada
priorities using the assumption that the In Ontario, the provincial government enacted
severity of a storm is not beyond the normal legislation in 2002 that defined the Minimum
capabilities of the City’s snow removal Maintenance Standard (MMS) for Roads
resources. Depending on the nature of the including snow clearing, ice prevention,
snowstorm, changes in these policies can patrolling, and weather monitoring. However,
occur. prior to the creation of the MMS, the City of
The established priorities are as follows: Ottawa amalgamated twelve municipalities in
• Arterials Primary Streets 1st Priority, January 2001 and as part of that process

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 15

approved its own Maintenance Quality standard that encourages salting operations
Standard (MQS). Relative to the MMS, the over alternatives such as sanding. Like the
MQS provides for a higher level of service MMS, the MQS road classes are based upon
through immediate deployment of equipment AADT and posted speed limits but with a
(anti-icing), reduced times to clear snow and slightly different weighting scheme. Winter
treat icy conditions (eg 4h vs 12h for class 3 maintenance response is the same for day or
roads), and a bare pavement treatment night operations.

Cit y of Ot t awa Maint enance Qualit y St andard vs MMS – Roadway Clearing

Clearing of highways, arterials and collectors

begins as soon as accumulation starts. Snow Removal (haulage) to snow disposal
Residential roads are cleared after 7cm of facilities is started when the encroachment of
snow accumulation. The City of Ottawa enacts the snow banks either impedes traffic or
a bylaw restricting on-street parking whenever creates a safety hazard for sightlines or
a 7cm snow accumulation is forecasted to help roadway flooding in accordance with the City’s
ensure the efficient clearing of snow. The City Maintenance Quality Standards. The minimum
of Ottawa also conducts snow clearing and cleared widths and times are shown in the
treatment of sidewalks and pathways according following table for each class of road.
to the Maintenance Quality Standards.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 16

Cit y of Ot t awa Maint enance Qualit y St andard – Snow Removal

There are eight primary snow disposal sites Snow is hauled using trucks varying from 9m3
operated by the City of Ottawa. Four are single axle dump trucks to 41m3 semi-trailers.
located in the urban area and four in suburban Due to the variability in truck capacity, the
areas. All are land sites with a total cumulative number of hauled loads is not typically used as
capacity of 3.15 million cubic metres. Six are a performance metric. Instead, the quantity of
fully engineered sites with collection ponds, snow hauled in cubic metres is shown in the
lighting, and paved surfaces and receive about table below for the past six winter seasons as
97% of all removed snow. Melting is generally well as the snowfall.
accomplished naturally over the summer
months. Water quality is monitored at all sites
in accordance with requirements from the
Ministry of the Environment.

Cit y of Ot t awa Cubic Met ers of Removal by

Cit y of Ot t awa Curb Met ers of Removal by
Season
Season

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 18

7.2.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA away from the highway to a dump site. If
• What are the action times and quality snow needs to be moved from the right of
requirements of snow removal? way, environmentally acceptable sites are
The depth and timing of snow used.
accumulation, weather forecasts and traffic • Are sites close by used for storage of snow
volumes, will normally dictate when snow or is all snow hauled to snow dump sites?
plowing operations will begin. Plowing will Plowed snow is stored within the highway
take place when the level of snow received right-of-way.
has reached a point in which travel is being • How many loads have been hauled per
negatively impacted. Generally when snow winter? 0
accumulation has reached 1 inch in depth
plowing will begin. 7.3 Antiskid Treatment
• How many snow dump sites do you have? 7.3.1 Ottawa, Canada
We have four snow dump storage locations. In Ottawa, salting is used on roads requiring
• Are sites close by used for storage of snow bare pavement or centre-bare treatment
or is all snow hauled to snow dump sites? standards (highway, arterial and collector
Any and all snow that is hauled is roads) and abrasives (grit or sand) is used on
transported to the snow dump storage sites. snow packed treatment standard roads
• How many loads have been hauled per (residential). Gritting/sanding may alternatively
winter? be used when temperatures are too cold for the
On average, approximately 18,000 loads of effective use of salt.
snow are hauled to the snow dump storage
sites. Application rates are selected based on the
• What are the action times and quality forecasted road temperature and
requirements of snow removal? precipitation/weather event as shown in the
table below. A network of road weather
7.2.3 Ministry of Transportation, Province information systems (RWIS), contracted
of Ontario, Canada weather forecasting services, and vehicle
Plowing begins when snow depth accumulates based infrared thermometers are used to
to 2.0 cm, salting beings when snow begins to provide accurate estimates of weather timing
accumulate, circuit times vary from 1.3 to 10 and intensity and treatment effectiveness.
hours depending on highway class. Salting rates are reduced by 20% when wetting
the salt using a winter liquid such as Calcium
• How many snow dump sites do you have? Chloride.
Snow is plowed toward and off the right
shoulder. It is normally not transported

Cit y of Ot t awa Salt ing, Bare Pav ement , Variable Applicat ion Rat es

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 19

Advance salt treatment is carried out for the Agricultural Based Liquid meeting the
majority of the salting operation by sizing the following specifications:
equipment and staff resources to permit
treatment as soon as accumulation begins. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Rock salt used is coarse crushed with grain 1. Shall be a natural, agricultural,
size averaging around 2.5mm. renewable resource that is derived from
the sugar beet plant or approved equal
Abrasives are used where required on snow that is less corrosive than traditional
packed streets to provide traction. Grit is chlorides and is less harmful to the
typically used in urban areas and sand in rural environment
areas. Grit is dark, course, crushed aggregate 2. Should improve the ice melting ability
with a grain size mainly between 0.6 and and help prevent ice hard pack from
2.5mm. The grain size of sand is less than bonding to the road surface
1mm. Both products are produced from local 3. Biodegradable and non-toxic to
private quarries. humans, animals, and aquatic life
4. Acceptable for use as a corrosion
Street sweeping and summer dust suppressing inhibitor for salt brines and thus able to
are also conducted by the Roads branch. be blended with all salt solutions without
Sweeping is started immediately when the stratification at any time
conditions allow it, usually by early April. 5. Able to be used as an admix for salt
Operations are initially concentrated in the stockpile mixing to prevent freezing of
urban centre and spread outwards. the pile without leaching when blended
at a 1 to 1 ratio with salt brine and
7.3.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA applied at the rate recommended by the
• What kind of salt and crushed stone are manufacturer
used for antiskid treatment?
Bulk Highway De-icing Salt that meets the TYPICAL PROPERTIES
following physical composition is used: 1. Freeze point of at least -6 to -20° F
1. Gradation 2. Minimum viscosity of 30 cP at 25° F
a. Passing a 1/2 inch (12.5 mm) 3. Minimum concentration of 62% solids
sieve 99 to 100% and 16% sugar level
b. Passing a 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) sieve 4. Maximum of 1% chloride and any
88 to 100% chloride present must be naturally
c. Passing a No.4 (4.75 mm) sieve occurring in the product
5. Specific Gravity 1.275 ± .05
20 to 90%
d. Passing a No. 8 (2.36 mm) sieve Pounds per Gallon 10.6 ± .4
10 to 60% PH 6-9
e. Passing a No. 30 (600 u m ) sieve Water Miscibility Completeb
0 to 15%
2. The deicing salt shall arrive in a free An 80% Fine Washed Aggregate/20% Salt
flowing and usable condition. mixture is used when temperatures restrict
3. Reclaimed or re-crushed rock salt will the use of straight salt.
not be accepted.
4. Any shipments of deicing salt which • In what kind of conditions is antiskid
are delivered in a frozen or caked treatment (salt or crushed stone) used?
condition, or which contains free water Pre-wetted salt (12 gallons per ton, 50%
will be rejected. Salt Brine/50% Carbohydrate Enhancer)
5. The sodium chloride content shall be is applied at 200 pounds per lane mile
not less than 95.0 percent. on paved street surfaces as needed
down to temperatures of 10oF. When
Liquid Anti-Icing products meeting the temperatures fall below 10oF paved road
following specification are used: surfaces are treated as needed with 800
Salt Brine 23.3% salt/76.7% water pounds per lane mile. The sand/salt
mixture that is also pre-wetted at the
spinner to limit bounce and scatter.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 20

Prior to snow event primary and secondary routes are anti-iced with liquids as follows:

7.3.3 Ministry of Transportation, the previous spring. Contracts for materials,

Province of Ontario, Canada equipment and services are ushered through
• What kind of salt and crushed stone are competitive tendering. The yearly salt
used for antiskid treatment? management report is submitted to
Rock salt is used down to temperatures of - Environment Canada and summer water quality
18oC, after first plowing loose snow. In monitoring is started. Bases at snow disposal
some cases liquid salts are added to rock areas are repaired. Administration, vehicle and
salt, normally at 5% by mass. Anti-icing material facilities are repaired as well as
liquid without rock salt is applied in advance weather stations as required.
of snow accumulation on high traffic
freeways when temperatures are expected As the winter season approaches,
to remain above -7oC. typical preparations include the
• In what kind of conditions is antiskid stock piling of materials, life-cycle
treatment (salt or crushed stone) used? replacement of equipment,
Winter sand is applied when temperatures updating policies and beats,
are too cold for salt to be effective at spreader calibration, training, filling
providing bare pavement, and on Class 5 vacant positions, snow fence
low-volume highways where a driveable installation, contractor vehicle
snow packed surface is maintained all inspections, and preparing contact
winter. lists and communication plans.
• If you would like to receive the specification Other activities include marking
for salt and winter sand, let us know. the location of fire hydrants and
road culverts, and auditing corn
7.4 Preparing for the winter fences left in the rural areas to
mitigate blowing snow.
7.4.1 Ottawa, Canada
Preparing for winter is a continuous process During exceptional weather events, Roads
including many activities that are started during management meet centrally with other branch

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 21

representatives including emergency 7.5 City Planning
responders to ensure efforts are coordinated 7.5.1 Ottawa, Canada
City wide. The traffic control centre provides
access to cameras across the City, weather
Parking
forecasting, and GPS locations of fleet vehicles
Street side parking is quite common in Ottawa.
whereby mobility and safety issues can quickly
To alleviate the impacts on
be identified and efficiently resolved.
snow clearing operations, the
City of Ottawa enacts a bylaw
restricting on-street parking
whenever a 7cm snow
accumulation is forecasted.
This helps ensure the efficient
clearing of snow, especially on
residential roads. Cars parked
in violation of the bylaw may be ticketed and
towed. In areas with high parking demand, on-
Cit y of Ot t awa Traf f ic Cont rol Cent re
street parking permits can be obtained that
exempt vehicles from the by-law.
The City of Ottawa regularly reviews its winter
maintenance policies within the context of During snow removal operations, temporary no-
emergency planning and climate change to parking signs are placed along the road
ensure it meets the challenges presented by segments where removal is planned. The
extreme weather. Best efforts are used to restriction applies to all vehicles, including
achieve its approved Maintenance Quality those with on-street parking permits.
Standards even during extreme events such as
the 1998 ice storm and high snowfall years Snow Storage
such as 2007/08. The goals of intensification and planning to
mitigate urban sprawl often create challenges
for winter road maintenance operations.
7.4.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA Policies that tend towards narrow lots, reduced
house setbacks, wide driveways, and abutting
sidewalks have resulted in less on-street snow
storage capacity and increased snow removal
operations.

Cit y of Ot t awa Typical Suburban St reet

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 22

Cycling
The City of Ottawa continues to promote cycling as a lifestyle and viable commuting option through
infrastructure investments such as dedicated bike lanes and paved shoulders. A recent initiative has
additionally created a plan to support winter cycling through enhanced clearing and removal
operations on specific routes.

Cit y of Ot t awa Wint er Cycling Net work

Winter Logistics Therefore similar snowfall conditions trigger

The City of Ottawa categorizes each street into removals on similar functioning streets when
one of three snow removal frequencies based snow exceeds on-street storage capabilities.
upon a calculated snow balance factor that Selection, scheduling and tracking of snow
considers the road maintenance class (ie clear removal operations are accomplished using
width required) and available storage space. scheduling software.

Cit y of Ot t awa Snow Remov al Scheduling and Report ing Syst em

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 23

While a process is in place for each new Snow drift control infrastructure (snow fences,
development application to be circulated hedges, snow storage ditches, free-flow profile)
through infrastructure and public works is installed on approximately 150 km of the
branches for comment, planning solutions on ~16,000 centre-line km highway system.
the whole often concede winter maintenance
requirements to other priorities. Recently, A network of 139 road weather information
targets to increase the urban tree canopy have stations is used to provide advance warning of
started to create policies that also benefit winter winter conditions to highway maintenance
maintenance operations since the space and crews and to help them select the best
volume requirements for road-side trees also treatment type and schedule.
result in winter time snow storage space.
Winter maintenance services are provided
7.5.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA through turn-key contracts of 10 years+
Implementation of a Snow and Ice Control duration, with fixed, lump-sum annual
Procedures manual that calls out established payments.
service levels in respect to the management of
snow or ice and maintenance of road systems Winter driving conditions are reported to the
during the winter months. public through a web-site and free ‘ 511’
telephone service.
Parking is prohibited on all Primary Snow
Removal Routes. 7.6 Future Prospects

Seasonal night parking restrictions are in place 7.6.1 Ottawa, Canada

from November 1 through April 15 which Through OMBI, OGRA and other organizations
restricts parking on the street between 1 a.m. representing the interests of municipalities in
and 7 a.m. These night parking restrictions Ontario, initiatives to benchmark, share
apply on alternate days as follows: experiences, and improve legislation result in
• Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday united efforts and consistent policies regarding
East/West Avenues No winter maintenance. The outcome is improved
Parking services, cost effectiveness, and environmental
• Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday stewardship.
North/South Streets No
parking 7.6.2 Fargo, North Dakota, USA
• cost efficiency:
Seasonal parking restrictions also limit parking o In place snow melting vs. haul
to one side of the street or avenue as indicated and store,
by signing from November 1 through April 15. o Installation of in ground snow
melter at current snow storage
Central Business District overnight parking locations vs. acquisition of
restrictions are in place year round between the additional property for snow
hours of 2 a.m. and 7a.m. as follows: storage.
• Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
East/West Avenues No • environmental friendliness
Parking Continue staff education on proper usage of
• Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday ice control products. Education and
North/South Streets No understanding is key to the realization that
parking over application of ice control products is
not the answer. Apply only what is needed
7.5.3 Ministry of Transportation, don’t over treat your roadways.
Province of Ontario, Canada
• What kind of planning solutions improving
winter maintenance have been used in your
city?
Winter Class system that defines
performance standards for each road
class.

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 24

7.6.3 Ministry of Transportation, and federal environmental regulations and
Province of Ontario, Canada laws. The Ministry follows a Road Salt
• cost efficiency Management Plan developed in
Cost efficiency is achieved through long- consultation with the Government of
term, low-bid contracts and by promoting Canada, and works with the Ontario Road
innovation among contractors. Salt Management Group of highway
agencies to develop more effective salt
• environmental friendliness management approaches, and works with
Environmental friendliness is achieved maintenance contractors to test and
through contract requirements that evaluate advance technology for salt
contractors meet all applicable provincial management.

Ot t awa

IFME - Best Pract ices in Wint er Maint enance P a g e | 25