Winter Maintenance

The roads used as major travel routes, have the most amount of traffic and higher rates of speed are treated and/or cleared first during a weather event.  Examples include Highway 53 and County Road 18.

Fun Fact #1: Highway 403 and Highway 24 (north and south) are maintained by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

Fun Fact #2: The County of Brant does not have any Highway Class 1 roads.

View the map of County roads to discover what Highway Class your road is!

If the County of Brant determines that it is likely that ice formation will occur on a roadway, the County will treat the roadway, if practicable, to prevent ice formation within the time set out below:

Highway Class 1 -  respond within 6 hours (the County of Brant does not have any Highway Class 1 roads)

Highway Class 2 -  respond within 8 hours

Highway Class 3 -  respond within 16 hours

Highway Class 4 -  respond within 24 hours

Highway Class 5 -  respond within 24 hours

Once the County of Brant has become aware that the roadway is icy, the standard for treating icy roadways is within the time set out below:

Highway Class 1 - respond within 3 hours (the County of Brant does not have any Highway Class 1 roads)

Highway Class 2 - respond within 4 hours

Highway Class 3 - respond within 8 hours

Highway Class 4 - respond within 12 hours

Highway Class 5 - respond within 16 hours

Once the County of Brant becomes aware that there is snow accumulation on the roadway and the depth of the snow is greater than set out below, the County will deploy winter maintenance vehicles, as soon as practicable, to address the snow accumulation.

After the snow accumulation has ended, the County will address the snow accumulation to reduce the snow to a depth less than or equal to the depth and within the timeframe, as set out below. 

Highway Class 1 - When the depth of snow is 2.5 cm, we respond within 4 hours (the County of Brant does not have any Highway Class 1 roads)

Highway Class 2 - When the depth of snow is 5 cm, we respond within 6 hours

Highway Class 3 - When the depth of snow is 8 cm, we respond within 12 hours

Highway Class 4 - When the depth of snow is 8 cm, we respond within 16 hours

Highway Class 5 - When the depth of snow is 10 cm, we respond within 24 hours

If the depth of snow accumulation on a roadway is less than or equal to the depth set out in section above, the roadway is deemed to be in a state of repair.

The County will provide a minimum lane width of three metres for each lane or the actual lane width, whichever is less.  On Class 4 and Class 5 highways with two lanes, the County will provide a total width of at least five metres.   

The depth of snow accumulation on a roadway may be determined by a County employee, agent or contractor, whose responsibilities include one or more of the following:

1. Patrolling highways.
2. Performing highway maintenance activities.
3. Supervising staff who perform highway maintenance activities.

 The depth of snow accumulation on a roadway and lane width may be determined by:

1. Performing an actual measurement,
2. Monitoring the weather, or
3. Performing a visual estimate.

Addressing snow accumulation on a roadway includes:

1. Plowing the roadway,
2. Salting the roadway,
3. Applying abrasive materials to the roadway,
4. Applying other chemical or organic agents to the roadway, or
5. Any combination of the methods

 This standard not apply to that portion of the roadway if it is:

1. Designated for parking;
2. Consisting of a bicycle lane or other bicycle facility, or
3. Used by a municipality for snow storage.

A “Significant weather event” means an approaching or occurring weather hazard has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways within the County of Brant.

What is a weather hazard? A “Weather hazard”, as determined by Environment Canada, meets the criteria for the issuance of an alert under its Public Weather Alerting Program.

The County of Brant may declare a 'Significant Weather Event' at any time and at its sole discretion.

When the County of Brant declares the beginning or the end of a Significant Weather Event, the County will:

1. Post a notice on the County’s website www.brant.ca.  Subscribe to News and Notices by visiting www.brant.ca/Subscribe.

2. Make an announcement on the County's Facebook or Twitter @BrantCommunity.  Follow us!

3. Send a press release to media partners.

If the County declares a Significant Weather Event relating to snow accumulation, the standard for addressing snow accumulation on roadways does not apply.  The County's role is to monitor the weather and when deemed appropriate by the County, deploy resources to address snow accumulation on roadways.

Once the County has declared the end of a Significant Weather Event, the County will address snow accumulation on roadways as per the Minimum Maintenance Standards.

All alternate parking on Paris streets be eliminated during a two-year conversion program. Approximately 35 streets are being proposed for 2019.  These streets have been chosen because they have been the most problematic from a winter maintenance perspective. Staff will monitor how parking on only one side of the street affects winter road maintenance, and will use the information to propose changes for the remaining streets in 2020.

The side of the street recommended for parking is based upon, but is not limited to, the following criteria:
• Number of on-street parking spaces available
• Available sidewalks
• Notable utilities such as hydro poles, street lighting, mailboxes, fire hydrants, etc.
• Number of adjacent side streets
• Number of driveways and entrances

It is anticipated that this recommendation will not only improve efficiencies to our winter maintenance operations resulting in less snow packed and icy conditions on our roads, but will also optimize parking by actually increasing the number of parking spaces during any given month.

Staff recommends amending Parking By-Law # 004-19 for the following street parking in 2019:
• Abeles Avenue – west side
• Alexander Avenue – west side
• Armstrong Street – north side
• Aspen Street – north side
• Banfield Street – south side and north side
• Bradbury Crescent – south side and east side
• Columbine Crescent – east side
• Dunton Lane – south side
• Emerson Court – west side
• Forest Drive – east side
• Garden Crescent – north side
• Griffiths Drive – south side and west side
• Jane Street – west side
• Juniper Street – west side
• Jury Street – west side
• Larkspur Lane – east side
• MacPherson Drive – south side and west side
• Magnolia Drive – north side
• Maple Crescent – north side and east side
• McCammon Street – north side
• Nixon Avenue – east side
• Northville Drive – west side
• Owen Avenue – south side
• Parkside Drive – east side
• Pleasant Place – south side
• Riverview Terrace – south side and east
• Schuyler Street – north side
• Scott Avenue – north side
• Sharpe Street – north side
• St. Andrew Street – south side
• St. Patrick Street – south side
• Telfer Court – south side
• Trillium Way – north side
• Warwick Street – west side
• West River Street – east side
• Whitlaw Way – south side and west side

In order to follow the guidelines of Corporate Development Committee Report “CD-19-63" Brant Safe Streets Speed Control and Road Safety Strategy”, staff will review the merits of staggering permanent parking on either side of the street to act as a traffic calming measure between side streets.

Banfield Street has been chosen to review staggered permanent parking as follows:
• Baird Street to Warwick Street – north side
• Warwick Street to Alexander Avenue – south side
• Alexander Avenue to Jury Street – north side
• Jury Street to Capron Street – south side

Once all the streets have been converted to allow parking on only one side, staff will review whether certain streets should have restricted parking on both sides. These recommendations will be presented after the review of this program has been completed.

All signs shall be erected in accordance with Regulation 615 of the Highway Traffic Act, as well as the Ontario Traffic Manual. Once the necessary by-laws have been approved by County Council, and County sign regulations have been amended, the above noted work will be completed prior to the start of the November 15, 2019 winter maintenance program.