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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.

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 country residential subdivisions, local residential and commercial roads and driveways. 

*While Leduc County aims to achieve the below-outlined priority standards, persistent weather events and availability of staff and resources may impact our time to clear roads. We thank you for your patience during the winter season.

PG-03 Snow Clearing County Roads Policy 

Report a concern

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 829 lane kilometres of roads. 

Paved roads are cleared according to their priority level, as follows:

  1. Paved roads such as Nisku Spine Road, Township Road 510, Glen Park Road, Airport Road, Sparrow Drive, 4th Street, 5th Street and rural paved grid roads will be cleared 12 hours after a snowfall of two to five centimetres. 

  2. Remaining roads in the Nisku Business Park will be cleared 24 hours after a snowfall of five to seven centimetres or more, subject to priority one being completed.

  3. Country residential subdivisions, hamlets and lakefront communities will be cleared 72 hours after of a snowfall that is five to seven centimetres.

  4. Urban residential collector roads will be cleared 96 hours after a snowfall of 15 centimetres or if emergency access is required.

  5. Urban residential local roads and lanes will be cleared within 120 hours or at the call of the director after a 10-centimetre snow pack or if emergency access is required.

Full details are listed in our snow clearing on County roads policy.

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

road network, which equals 1,726 kilometres of gravel roads.

Gravel roads are cleared according to their priority level, as follows:

  1. Gravel grid roads will be cleared 72 hours after a snowfall of five to seven centimetres.

  2. Churches, halls and Ministik Lake parking area will be cleared upon request and only after priority roads are cleared.

  3. Driveways will be cleared upon request and only after priority roads are cleared.

Full details are listed in our snow clearing on County roads policy.

We clear snow on pathways at the same time as paved and gravel roads according to the priority level, as follows:

  1. Adjacent County facilities and transit stops will be cleared 12 hours after a snowfall of two to five centimetres.
  2. All remaining pathways will be cleared 72 hours after a snowfall of two to five centimetres.

Full details are listed in our snow clearing on County roads policy.

Residents are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks that are adjacent to their property, which includes removing snow and ice during the winter months. Please remove snow and ice after each snowfall to help maintain a safe neighbourhood.

Learn more about snow and ice removal on sidewalks in our Urban Standards Bylaw.

If you have a concern about snow on a private sidewalk, please call 780-955-5005.

We offer free snowplowing services for private driveways up to three times per season. To apply for this program, you must complete a private driveway snowplow agreement. Once you have a snowplow agreement with the County, you can request our snowplow services.

Submit an agreement

Complete a private driveway snowplow agreement online

Download a 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:

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.

Keeping snow off of roads and out of culverts

When clearing your driveway during the winter, please do not push snow onto County roads. Pushing snow onto roads creates traffic hazards and drainage issues. Drainage issues are also created when snow is pushed into culverts and ditches; the snow becomes packed down and freezes, which can result in flooding in the spring. Thank you for your cooperation this winter.

Frequently asked questions

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.

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. 

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

Report a concern form