Winter Maintenance

Home Roads and TransportationWinter Maintenance

Winter maintenance activities cover over 250 km of roadways. Snow clearing aims to limit the deterioration of travel conditions and re-establish acceptable conditions for users as soon as possible. Our municipality's ability to respond to changing weather conditions must always be weighed against the availability and cost of resources.

We thank residents and motorists for their continued patience and co-operation while crews are working to clear snow from city roadways.

Have questions about our winter maintenance program?

Watch the video below or read through the drop-down menus.

Regular winter maintenance operations

The City of Lloydminster's Transportation Services team monitors weather reports so crews are ready for significant snowfalls. If a snow event is forecasted, additional staff are on-call for weekends. Snow is cleared from roadways in priority order and plowing takes precedence over any snow removal.

The City of Lloydminster also advises residents of the following:

City policy itemizes priority routes and defines amounts of snow that require deployment of road-maintenance resources.
- Priority 1: roadways that are utilized for major travel routes, have the most amount of traffic and higher speed limits
- Priority 2: collector roadways that join two arterials
- Priority 3: local, haul-only roadways
Priority routes exist so residents do not have to travel far to access a plowed road.
It generally takes two days to complete the Priority 1 areas and three to four days to complete Priority 2 areas.
Blowing snow, poor visibility and continuing snowfall can impact timelines as roads often require additional maintenance.
The City of Lloydminster values the patience and co-operation of our residents and visitors as municipal staff work through winter maintenance challenges.
Pushing snow from private property to city roads or trails causes uneven areas on roadways and sidewalks/trails and hinders in winter snow maintenance. See Section 9.2 of the Community Standards Bylaw.
Our Winter Maintenance Policy is available online.

'Your City at Work' updates are regularly shared on our News page, as well as our many social media channels.

Snow and ice operations

The City of Lloydminster's Winter Maintenance Policy itemizes priority routes and defines amounts of snow that require deployment of road maintenance resources.

When road conditions become slippery, sanding operations are initiated. Streets are sanded according to the priority sequence, with special attention is given to intersections, hills and curves.

Download the Snow and Ice Operations Guide

Snow clearing versus snow removal

Another key distinction in our winter operations: the difference between snow clearing and snow removal.

Snow clearing is the process of pushing the snow off the roadway with a truck and a blade. The snow ends up in medians and sometime private property.

Snow removal uses snow blowers and loaders to pick up the snow and put it in trucks to transport the snow to a field on the outskirts of town.

Like many municipalities, the City of Lloydminster only conducts full snow removal in the downtown area to keep congestion from building up in the core.

To conduct regular full City and residential removals requires additional resources and capital, currently not feasible under current budget constraints. This is why Council allots $1.5-million per year to cover the approximate cost on one full removal in the event of a snowfall that poses a public safety risk.

What to do during a snow removal

The City requests the co-operation of residents and drivers to ensure garbage carts, vehicles and other obstructions are removed from the street before crews arrive. Signage will be posted approximately 36-48 hours before snow removal begins.

In most residential areas, snow will be plowed into windrows along the street’s centre and picked up by snow blowers and loaders. Removal of windrows typically occurs within 24 hours. Motorists are reminded not to drive over or through the windrows. The City of Lloydminster is not responsible for any damages caused by doing so.

In cases where snow and ice have been allowed to accumulate on driveways, an ice shelf may remain between the roadway and driveway apron after roadway clearing. Removing the ice shelf is the responsibility of the homeowner.

During the snow removal process, do not park on the side of the street and remove any other items obstructing the roadway once 'No Parking' signs are posted. Signs are not placed on every street. To receive snow removal updates, visit Lloydminster.ca/Subscribe and subscribe to 'Road and Traffic Updates. Updates are also posted on the City of Lloydminster Facebook page. Vehicles parked on the street may be towed to facilitate the snow removal process.

Sidewalk and fire hydrant snow removal

Sidewalks

As per the Community Standards Bylaw, residents are reminded to refrain from depositing snow and ice onto the streets when clearing snow from a property. The bylaw also outlines that the owner or occupant of property along municipal streets is responsible for removing snow and ice from the sidewalk within 72 hours of a snowfall.

Fire hydrants

The property owner or tenant’s responsibility is to keep one metre (three feet) surrounding the fire hydrant free from snow and ice. It is strongly recommended to create a pathway to the nearest sidewalk or roadway.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it seem to take a long time for certain streets to be cleared?

It is important to remember that the first priority of the City’s Winter Maintenance program is to keep the main roads clear, as such, it is asked that residents be patient. Crews will get to residential roads as soon as possible. Roads are cleared in a priority sequence. Unfortunately, additional snowfall accumulations or windy conditions may result in Priority 1 routes being cleared more than once before the next priority routes can be cleared for the first time. Per the Winter Maintenance Policy, crews will move to Priority 2 routes once Priority 1 routes have been completed.

Why isn’t the snow removed from school zones more regularly?

Snow removal is costly and uses different equipment than for snow clearing (plowing and grading). In the current Winter Maintenance Policy, school zones are a Priority 2; therefore, snow clearing will commence after Priority 1 is completed.

When does downtown snow removal occur?

Downtown is considered a priority and is completed at night. Time is given to business owners to clear the sidewalks in front of the roadway after a snowfall. The City strives to provide the necessary communication to advise business owners and residents when downtown snow removal is scheduled to take place.

At times the plow truck is not pushing snow close to the curb, how come?

Crews may stay away from curbs so a large ridge is not placed onto residents’ driveways.

Why does the City sometimes leave a ridge at the end of driveways?

The primary objective is to maximize the quality of snow clearing on the travelled portion of the roadway. During winter maintenance activities, crews do not have any other place to push the snow except to the curb or the shoulder.

Normally, crews use equipment with a snow gate in an effort to minimize the amount of snow ridge left in the driveway. However, at times, during a significant snowfall event, the snow accumulates as such it ends up running over the top of the snow gate, creating a larger ridge.

Sometimes this can happen shortly after you have finished shovelling your own property. It is understood that this can be frustrating; however, your co-operation is greatly appreciated in clearing this snow without placing it back on the roadway. The City does not provide services to remove the snow from the bottom of your driveway. Placing snow on the roadways or public sidewalks violates the Community Standards Bylaw.

My neighbour does not clear their sidewalk. Who should I contact?

If you have tried to discuss the problem with your neighbour and have been unable to resolve the issue, you can contact the City of Lloydminster Municipal Enforcement during regular business hours at 780-874-3710.

What determines a city-wide snow removal?

A city-wide snow removal is based on the:

amount of snowfall
smoothness of the road for driving safety
amount of packed snow

What determines the location and times of day when snow removal occurs?

To ensure fairness, the snow removal schedule location is reviewed annually and adjusted each year to begin in a different zone. Scheduling snow removal is dependent on the City’s curbside collection days. Crews will not work in areas scheduled to have curbside collection picked up on that day and will move onto an area so as not to disrupt the curbside collection workers.

City-wide snow removal involves several heavy pieces of equipment (which are noisy and take up a lot of space) on our roadways. Therefore, crews work during the daytime rather than the nighttime to avoid interrupting residents in the comfort of their homes during the evening and throughout the night while people are sleeping. It also ensures fewer vehicles are parked on roadways making it easier for our crews to work.

My street isn’t cleared yet. What if emergency vehicles need access?

In the event of an emergency, 911 dispatchers will be in touch with snow-clearing crews to ensure emergency vehicles have an efficient and accessible route.

Who is responsible to clear a pathway on my boulevard so I can access the street?

If a resident wishes to maintain a pathway on the boulevard to the street, it is their responsibility to do so.

Why are roads behind Walmart, Home Depot and between the eastside Tim Hortons and Super 8 not maintained during a snowfall?

These locations are not city-owned property; they are the property owner's responsibility.

My neighbour or family member is a senior or someone who requires assistance with snow removal. Who can I contact for assistance?

Please contact:

How can I help with winter maintenance?

City crews take pride in their efforts to make roadways safe. Residents can help by doing a few simple things to make the area around their property safe:

Shovel snow from your driveway and sidewalk onto your property. Remember, placing snow on the roadways or public sidewalks violates the Community Standards Bylaw.
Keep your sidewalks clear from snow and ice. It helps to prevent slip and fall accidents and helps those using walkers, canes, strollers and wheelchairs.
Remind children not to climb or play on snowbanks as it can be dangerous, especially around active roadways.

Who do I contact for questions or concerns about snow or ice issues?

Problem areas may be reported using our Winter Maintenance Concern form. This form is a tool that can be used to report your concerns and feedback to the City of Lloydminster. The reported location must be within Lloydminster's city limits.

Note: Bylaw complaints should be directed to to the Bylaw Enforcement portal. Alternatively, you may contact Bylaw during regular business hours at 780-874-3710 (choose Option 1 for complaints and Option 2 for inquiries).

Report a winter maintenance concern

Concerned residents have 24/7 online access to the Report a Concern portal to submit concerns or questions. The reported location must be within Lloydminster's city limits.

Still have have questions or concerns?

Email: roadservices@lloydminster.ca
Phone: 780-874-3700 ext 2785