Winter operations

Dedicated staff in Leduc County maintain local roadways during the winter months. The Government of Alberta is responsible for snow and ice removal on all numbered highways.

Report a concern

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We monitor and inspect roadways before and after each snowfall. The severity of the snowfall or ice conditions dictates the timing of snow and ice removal. We prioritize paved and gravel roadways before clearing subdivisions and driveways.

We use different equipment for paved and gravel roads, which allows us to clear both at the same time. It’s important to note that in periods of continual snow, we may clear main roads more than once before we can attend to subdivisions and driveways.

We are not responsible for clearing private sidewalks. If you have a concern about snow on a private sidewalk, please call 780-955-5005.

Paved roads

We clear our paved roads using plow trucks. We have a dedicated crew of six plow truck drivers who maintain our paved road network, which includes 396 kilometres of roads.

Priority one

Main paved roads and roads in the Nisku Business Park, which will be cleared 12 hours after the end of a snowfall event, which includes strong winds that create drifts.

Priority two

Subdivisions and hamlets, which will be cleared 72 hours after the end of a snowfall event.

View our snow clearing on county roads policy for more information.

Gravel roads

We clear our gravel road roads using graders. We have 11 grader operators who maintain our gravel

road network, which equals 1,734 kilometres of gravel roads.

Priority one

Gravel grid roads, which will be cleared 72 hours after the end of a snowfall event.

Priority two

Churches and halls, which are cleared on request, and are only completed after all main roads are cleared.
Driveways, which are cleared on request, and are only completed after all main roads are cleared.

View our snow clearing on county roads policy for more information.

Snowplowing for private driveways

We offer free snowplowing services for private driveways up to three times per season. Complete the private driveway snowplow agreement and submit it by email. Once you have a snowplow agreement with the county, you can request our snowplow services.

Private driveway snowplow agreement

You will need to pay the fee outlined in the public works section of the Fees and Charges bylaw for any additional snow removal requests.

How to request snowplow services

After you have filled out a private driveway snowplow agreement, you can request snowplow services by email, phone or through an online application form, as follows:

Email your request to snow@leduc-county.com
Call 780-955-7226 and follow the prompts
- Note: if you call to request snowplow services, your call will not be returned.
Fill out an online snowplow services request form

Remember to include your first and last name, municipal address and phone number in all of your requests.

Driveways will be plowed after all other roadways are cleared.

Snow ridges

We don't clear the snow ridges (windrows) left at the ends of driveways after a snow plow has cleared the road. Landowners are responsible for this.

Frequently asked questions

Does Leduc County use sand on county roads?

Yes, we use a salt/sand combination that we refer to as pickled sand. Pickled means that the sand is blended with liquid calcium chloride to keep it from freezing. We use pickled sand on our paved roads.

Sand and the wind

If it's windy out, we don't spread pickled sand. If the road surface becomes wet from melting snow or ice, any blowing snow travelling across that wet road surface may bond to the wet pavement. This could cause drifting and/or icy conditions.
If temperatures dip below minus 18 degrees and the road surface is dry, the sand will not stick to the road surface and will be blown into the ditch by passing motorists, which is not effective.

Sand and gravel do not mix

We don't use sand on our gravel roads. As mentioned above, our sand contains liquid calcium chloride. We can't use this material on gravel roads because once the weather gets warmer, it would result in a mushy road surface, which is dangerous to travel on.
Instead of sand, we use rock chips on icy hills and intersections. We also scratch those slippery surfaces with special grader blades to help with traction.

Which roads are school bus routes?

Technically, all Leduc County roads are considered to be school bus routes. Regional school boards take care of bussing and determine bus routes in Leduc County. The bus routes can change throughout the year as determined by the school boards.

How do I get a road concern addressed?

If you're concerned about a roadway, please use one of the following options to let us know:

Phone

Call 780-979-6185 during normal operating hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
After hours, call our 24-hour emergency line at 780-955-7226

Email

Send an email to pwe@leduc-county.com

Report a concern form

Submit your concern using our report a concern form

Gravelling program

Leduc County has 1,734 kilometres of gravel roads, which we work hard to maintain throughout the year. A big part of our annual maintenance and care takes place during the winter through our winter gravelling program.

Each winter, 580 kilometres (approximately one-third) of our gravel roads are re-graveled. It takes about 120,000 tonnes of gravel to complete the program.

We run an extensive quality assurance program to ensure that gravel produced for our roads meets or exceeds our expectations.

The program has been in place since 1986. The practice of gravelling in the winter was originally adopted to reduce the impact to residents caused by truck traffic and to preserve our gravel road infrastructure, because frozen roads can withstand more weight. In addition to protecting our gravel road infrastructure, gravelling during the winter produces a lot less dust then it would during the summer.