Winter Maintenance
Winter maintenance operations are typically scheduled October through April. Mainroad operates and maintains one of the largest fleets of snow removal equipment in British Columbia. We regularly monitor weather forecasts to ensure crews and equipment are appropriately deployed and are ready for incoming storms.
During a snow event, Mainroad has a full complement of winter operators plus mechanical support working every shift 24/7. Mainroad uses three materials for winter road maintenance: winter sand, salt brine and crystal salt. The use of a specific material is determined by forecast and actual weather conditions. Winter material stocks on hand are stored in depots situated throughout our service areas.
We provide quality maintenance services throughout the winter for the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in the Lower Mainland, Mid and North Vancouver Island, and East Kootenay areas. In Alberta, Mainroad provides winter maintenance services for Chinook Highway Operations based in Calgary and is contracting by the Province for highway maintenance in Red Deer.
In addition, Mainroad has long standing winter maintenance service contracts with air, water and ground transportation companies.
One of Mainroad’s key strategic initiatives is public safety. We all have family and friends using the roads we maintain and our crews are proud of the work they do to ensure public safety is paramount.
Help our operators do their work to keep the roads clear by following these safety tips:
- Maintain a safe following distance when approaching highway maintenance vehicles. Snow plows have limited visibility and operators cannot see directly behind their trucks.
- On some highways, two or more snow plows may be staggered across multiple lanes with the plow in front pushing snow towards the plows behind. This is an effective way to quickly clear wide areas so stay behind these plowing operations and don’t try to pass. When you attempt to pass, you put yourself, the truck operator, and the driving public at risk.
- Remember the road surface ahead of the plow hasn’t been plowed yet therefore please slow down and be patient. The operator will eventually pull over and let you pass safely.