PublicWorks

During the Winter Control Season road crews apply a liquid salt brine mixture to the roads to keep snow and ice from building up and sticking to the road. Anti-Icing makes the roads easier to plow and also reduces the need to use rock salt. These operations are scheduled as weather conditions dictate.

Salt is an effective material for controlling snow and ice on roads. Granular salt is placed in a 2-metre strip down the centre of the road and combined with vehicular traffic, creates a brine solution which works its way out to the curb enabling the de-icing action.

Crews clear more than:

• 150 lane kilometers of roads
• 60 kilometers of designated sidewalks/walkways
• 10 designated school crossings

The Town of Ingersoll clears its roads on a priority system. Primary roads are cleared first followed by local residential streets and courts.

We do our best to maintain municipal roads and sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of snowfall. It may take longer if weather conditions are severe. Infact all roads and sidewalks are cleared within 8 hours from the conclusion of the snow event. 

Remember to clear the way! Don’t park on your street until it has been salted or plowed to assist crews in completing operations safely and efficiently.

• roads that carry high volumes of traffic, like Ingersoll and Bell Street
• the first to be cleared when it snows upon being aware of the snow event
• treated with salt as needed and then plowed continuously until pavement is bare, (note: during times of extreme cold weather sand may be used thus bare pavement cannot be achieved)

• maintained after primary roads are complete
• treated with sand
• maintained as snow packed surface not bare pavement
• only plowed when a single storm results in 8 cm or more of snow accumulation

• treated in the same manner as local residential streets
• have the snow piled on adjacent lawns using loaders when cleared
• only plowed when a single storm results in 10 cm or more of snow accumulation
• maintained as snow packed surface not bare pavement

• sidewalks are maintained Monday to Friday between 7:00am and 3:30pm
• sidewalks are not maintained on weekends or Statutory Holidays
• sidewalks are plowed or sand/salted when snow accumulates
• icy sidewalks due to a freezing rain event will be treated as soon as staff are made aware
• sidewalks are not maintained if:
  • they are too narrow to accommodate the sidewalk machine
  • there are obstructions such as utility poles/boxes that restrict the sidewalk machine

Street-to-Street Walkways are: plowed and receive a sand/salt mix, during sidewalk plowing operations

Pathways within Town Parks are: not maintained during the Winter Control season with the exception of the pathways through Smith Pond Park and Memorial Park which are maintained by the Public Works during regular Sidewalk Clearing operations.

plowed within 24 hours after the end of snowfall (minimum 5 cm). A heavy or continuous snowfall may extend this period to 48 hours or more & sanded or salted as required and on a continuous basis during a snowfall

School Crossings are: cleared and sanded/salted as required after a snowfall

The Town of Ingersoll clears its roads on a priority system. Primary roads (includes arterial and major collector roads such as Thames and Ingersoll Streets) are cleared first followed by local residential streets and courts. Primary service roads carry high volumes of traffic and allow emergency vehicles to move safely throughout the Town. Local residential streets and courts carry lower volumes of traffic.

To determine if your street is a primary, use our Plowing Priorities map. Click here to view the map

During major winter storms, crews must concentrate on keeping primary roads clear. After the arterial and collector roads are clear, crews move into local residential streets and courts. We do our best to maintain municipal roads and sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of snowfall. It may take longer if weather conditions are severe as plows may be reassigned from local residential streets to keep primary service roads clear.

You can call 519-485-0120. All inquiries will be answered on a priority basis.

All Town owned sidewalks that are adjacent to the roadway are plowed as long as they are wide enough to accommodate the sidewalk machine and there are no obstructions such as utility poles or boxes blocking the machines path. Non Town owned sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner to clear the snow and ice.

The priority of our work crews is clearing the travelled portion of the road. The only place to move the snow is onto the boulevard, which includes driveways. As a result, snow left at the bottom of driveways is unavoidable.

The plow travels on the right side of the road with traffic and is therefore only capable of directing the snow one way off the right side of the truck. You may see the plow clear only one side of your street before they are able to safely turn around and return to plow the other half of the street. Please be assured that we will return to clear your entire street.

Snow is only removed when there is no snow storage remaining in that area. Narrow streets such as Duke, Albert, and Church are examples of streets with limited snow storage. Also when sight lines at intersections are restricted snow may be moved from these areas.

The Town will repair damage if it was our plows that did the damage. If the Town is responsible, our standards are as follows:

Boulevard – The Town will use asphalt to repair the driveway portion of the boulevard. The Town will not restore driveway boulevards finished with interlocking brick, or patterned concrete.
Lawn – The Town will repair the lawn in the spring.
Mailboxes – The Town will replace the mailbox with a STANDARD RURAL mailbox.

For damage inquiries, call 519-485-0120

Privately owned lots and plazas are the responsibility of individual property managers. If snow from a private lot is plowed onto a Town street, the property management company may be subject to a fine. To report snow plowed on to street, contact By-Law Enforcement at 519-485-0120.

Parked vehicles can prevent snow removal crews from clearing the roads in a timely and efficient manner. Vehicles parked on the street during this time are subject to a fine and may be towed at the owner’s expense. If parked vehicles are a problem on your street, contact Parking Enforcement at 519-485-0120.

Canada Post is responsible for clearing the snow and ice around Super Mailboxes. Contact Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177.

The County of Oxford is responsible for clearing snow from fire hydrants. However, property owners are strongly encouraged to clear snow from fire hydrants on or around their property to ensure Ingersoll Fire Service can quickly gain access in the event of a fire. To report a fire hydrant that requires clearing, contact the County of Oxford at 519-539-9800.

The Town of Ingersoll Parks and Recreation is responsible for removing snow/ice from pathways, walkways and parking lots in Town of Ingersoll parks and recreation facilities. Contact the Parks Department at 519-425-1181.

Residents are encouraged to place their garbage and recycling back from the curb to allow snow and waste collection crews to work effectively. For additional information on waste collection, visit the County of Oxford web page or call 519-539-9800.