When precipitation accumulates to 5 cm or more of snow on the ground, a snow clearing operation is usually triggered on main arteries, boulevards and collector streets, i.e. streets linking main arteries to local streets in residential neighborhoods.
The snow clearing plan ensures uniformity of operations throughout Brossard. The road network is classified according to three levels and clearing is carried out in the following order:
Level 1 – Boulevards and main arteries
Level 2 – Collector streets
Level 3 – Local streets
Note that emergency lanes are always given priority.
No, snow removal on certain arteries, boulevards and access roads to the highway network is not the responsibility of Ville de Brossard. The following sections are under provincial jurisdiction, under the Ministère des Transports du Québec:
- Boulevard Taschereau;
- Access ramps to autoroutes 10 and 30;
- Boulevard Marie-Victorin (under the Champlain bridge deck)
When road conditions require intervention, i.e. in the event of apparent snow accumulation or ground ice formation (freezing rain, ice pellets, etc.), abrasive (stone screenings) and ice melter (sodium chloride) are spread on roadways, sidewalks and paths.
To limit the environmental impact of de-icing agents and abrasives, they are used sparingly in some areas. Ville de Brossard adheres to the principle of eco-winter streets, i.e. level 3 residential streets on which no de-icing salt is used, in order to reduce the ecological footprint left by snow clearing.
Yes, the city prefers to blow snow on private, commercial, industrial and institutional properties, in order to limit the ecological footprint associated with snow removal operations and the transportation of snow to the snow dump.
You must submit your claim to the City before May 15 of each year by contacting Services Brossard. Depending on the type of damage, repair work will be carried out over the summer period.
Several factors influence the duration of snow clearing operations. For example, daytime operations take longer than night-time operations, given the number of cars parked on the streets.
The duration of the snow clearing operation itself is a factor to consider: if snow clearing lasts longer than 12 hours, a rest period is required for team members to ensure the safety of road users and to comply with labor standards.
Mechanical breakdowns can also cause operational delays.
Snow removed from the road surface must be pushed back along the edges of the traffic lane to allow vehicular traffic to pass. There’s no practical way to avoid windrows of snow, also known as embankments, on the edges of roadways.
It is forbidden to deposit snow on or beside public roads in order to avoid hindering snow removal operations and to facilitate traffic flow on the network.
Various factors can force operators to operate on the network even when it’s not snowing. For example, rain, wind and extreme cold may require the application of abrasives and ice melters.