Seasonal Road Operations

Winter road maintenance

Niagara Region provides winter maintenance 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1,739 lane kilometres of Regional roads. We use a combination of our own staff and equipment along with contracted services.

We aim to keep Regional roads safe during winter storms by meeting or exceeding the minimum maintenance standards for municipal highways set by the Province of Ontario.

When we start winter maintenance and how quickly we clear snow depends on the amount of snowfall, the speed limit and average daily traffic on each road.

Winter maintenance targets

Our goal is to clear snow within six to eight hours after a winter event has ended. The target to clear bike lanes is within 12 to 24 hours and to treat icy roads within four to 16 hours.

Significant weather events / winter storms

Niagara Region may declare a significant weather event as outlined by Ontario regulations.

A significant weather event involves weather hazards that could pose a significant danger to highway users within a city / town.

A winter event ends when roads are no longer getting worse from the effects of snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain, rain, mist, fog, frost, black ice, blowing and or drifting snow, or surface water.

Road safety guide

• Snow plowed into driveways

  Snowplows move snow from the road to the curb or shoulder. To keep more snow from being pushed back onto your driveway, pile the snow on the right side as you look from your house to the road.

• What to do if a Regional snowplow damages your mailbox

  If your home is on a Regional road and your mailbox was damaged by a Regional snow plow, call our central dispatch at 905-980-6000 ext. 3690.

  If confirmed that Niagara Region or our contractors caused the damage, a temporary mailbox will be installed within 48 hours. A permanent four-by-four-inch wooden post with a standard metal rural mailbox will be installed within 30 days (from April 1 to Nov. 30), unless winter weather prevents it.

  Replacements follow Canada Post's Rural Mailbox Guidelines. Niagara Region does not replace mailboxes in poor condition (for example, rotted wooden posts) and will notify homeowners of findings. Decorative mailboxes will be replaced with the standard model. Newspaper receptacles or stands will not be repaired or replaced.

• How we monitor winter weather

  Niagara Region uses seven road weather information system stations to track weather and road conditions, including wind speeds, precipitation, road surface conditions and temperatures.

  The stations are located in:

  • West Lincoln
  • Grimsby
  • Pelham
  • Port Colborne
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake
  • Niagara Falls
  • Fort Erie
• Uses and benefits of road treatment materials

  Salt

  Salt helps melt snow and ice, preventing it from sticking to the road surface and making plowing more effective. When applied, salt turns ice into liquid, breaking it up for easier removal. Salt is effective down to -9 C and loses its effectiveness below -18 C.

  While salt can cause corrosion to concrete, metal, roads, bridges and vehicles, Niagara Region follows a Salt Management Plan to reduce its environmental impact. This plan meets Environment Canada's Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts. Niagara Region also voluntarily reports our annual salt usage to Environment Canada.

  Brine

  Brine is a liquid salt solution that is sprayed before a storm to keep snow and ice from sticking to the road. It's also mixed with road salt to reduce loss due to bounce and scatter, speeding up melting and improving salt penetration into ice and snow.

  Pre-wetting salt with brine helps it dissolve faster and stay in place. When crews expect icy conditions, they may spray brine to dry roads before bad weather. The white lines of salt residue you see on roads are part of this preparation, helping to keep roads clear and safe.

  Sand

  Sand provides traction on slippery surfaces, especially when temperatures are too low for salt to work effectively (below -12 C). Winter sand includes a small amount of salt to prevent freezing. This allows the sand to flow smoothly from spreaders and adds grit for traction on on snow and ice.