It might be a bit early for most people to begin thinking about winter conditions, but city staff have already devised a winter maintenance plan for sidewalks.
During the Sept. 15 operations committee meeting of city council, the city’s elected officials will vote on whether to proceed with the city’s latest plan, which includes the net addition of 2,377 metres of sidewalks.
Although the city has approximately 440 kilometres of sidewalks, they currently maintain around 364 kilometres during the winter months.
“Winter sidewalk maintenance involves plowing and sanding sidewalks to reduce slip hazards and provide a relatively smooth surface for pedestrian passage,” city Roads Operations engineer Tony De Silva describes in a separate report to city council.
The addition of a net 2,377 metres of sidewalk plowing is separate from another city council member vote on Sept. 15 on whether to proceed with a continuous sidewalk plowing pilot project. The pilot in question has seen three additional seasonal employees hired to operate sidewalk plows on a continuing basis to supplement the existing 21. The vote will be on whether to proceed with another winter season of the pilot ($289,000) and a business case to make it permanent for subsequent winters.
As for the addition of a net 2,377 metres of sidewalk plowing, the proposed changes are as follows:
- In Val Therese, 567 m of sidewalk on MR 80, from Shirley to Jeanne D’Arc
- In Capreol, 105 m of Crescent Avenue
- In Azilda, 160 m of Shawn Street
- In Sudbury, 370 m of Loach’s Road on the south side, from LoEllen to Armstrong
- In Copper Cliff, 492 m of Nickel Street
- In Falconbridge, Rix Street sidewalk clearing shifts from the west side to the east side (net loss of nine metres) and Morlock Street is removed (loss of 175 metres)
- In Sudbury, 485 m on Wiltshire/Hebert
- In Lively, 382 m added on Hillcrest, from Brian to Polvi
The additions meet various criteria regarding the connectivity of pedestrian routes. In Falconbridge, the Rix Street shift from maintaining the west to the east was to maintain the sidewalk in front of a pedestrian destination (Canada Post), and removing sidewalk snow on Morlock Street came in response to a petition by area residents.
Meanwhile, bike lanes and multi-use trails will close during the winter months, as usual, despite a public petition cycling advocate Andrew Way started in 2023 to push for year-round maintenance. Exceptions include the Jim Gordon Boardwalk, Ramsey Lake Road multi-use path and Delki Dozzi multi-use path, which, like past years, will receive winter maintenance.
A map of sidewalks the city currently maintains during the winter months is available by clicking here, and a map of proposed changes is available by clicking here.
The Sept. 15 operations committee meeting of city council is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., and can be viewed in-person at Tom Davies Square or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.