Presentation to Transportation Committee

February 5, 2014

Outline:

December 20th to 22nd,

2013 Winter Event

Winter 2013 In Review

Recent Trends in Winter

Operations

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Winter Event

3

Management & Supervisors

monitored weather

Snow bank removal had been

completed on most main

roads

Available equipment was

inspected

Winter salt/abrasives and

liquids were stocked up

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Over the course of three days, we received

41.4cm of snow, 18mm of freezing rain and

4.6mm of rain

5

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

Nov

1

Nov

3

Nov

5

Nov

7

Nov

9

Nov

11

Nov

13

Nov

15

Nov

17

Nov

19

Nov

21

Nov

23

Nov

25

Nov

27

Nov

29

Dec

1

Dec

3

Dec

5

Dec

7

Dec

9

Dec

11

Dec

13

Dec

15

Dec

17

Dec

19

Dec

21

Dec

23

Dec

25

Dec

27

Dec

29

Dec

31

cm

s o

f sn

ow

/m

ms o

f ra

in/hrs

of

freezin

g r

ain

/m

ean t

em

p

(C)

Weather - Day by Day (Nov-Dec 2013)

Freezing Rain (hrs)

Snow (cm)

Rain (mm)

Mean Temp (°C)

On December 22nd we had 49cm of snow on the

ground, much higher than the average of 19cm for

that time of year

6

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Nov 1

Nov 3

Nov 5

Nov 7

Nov 9

Nov 1

1

Nov 1

3

Nov 1

5

Nov 1

7

Nov 1

9

Nov 2

1

Nov 2

3

Nov 2

5

Nov 2

7

Nov 2

9

Dec 1

Dec 3

Dec 5

Dec 7

Dec 9

Dec 1

1

Dec 1

3

Dec 1

5

Dec 1

7

Dec 1

9

Dec 2

1

Dec 2

3

Dec 2

5

Dec 2

7

Dec 2

9

Dec 3

1

Cumulative Snow Fall & Snow on Ground

Cum Snowfall (cms)

Snow on Grnd (cms)

Ext Snow on Grnd

(cms)

Avg Snow on Grnd

(cms)

Staff:o 600 Winter Maintenance Staff

Equipment:

◦ 185 Salt Spreading Trucks

(Combo Trucks)

◦ 141 Grader/Loader Plows

◦ 99 Bucket Loaders/Backhoes

◦ 30 Trucks (4X4 trucks)

◦ 125 Sidewalks Plows

Total: 580 pieces of equipment

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Early Morning Friday, December 20th

Crews concentrated on the Transitway, highway 174,

arterials, collectors and priority sidewalks.

Staff were stationed at the Traffic Operations Centre

monitoring traffic and transit conditions.

Early Moring Saturday, December 21st

Precipitation changed from snow to freezing rain/ice

pellets causing operations to continue to focus on main

roads and priority sidewalks.

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Saturday Morning (Dec 21)

Crews began plowing residential streets Saturday

morning and continued throughout the day.

Sunday Morning (Dec 22)

Focus moved back to main roads after 12 -15 additional

cm of snow/ice pellets fell.

Sunday Afternoon – Monday Morning (Dec 22-23)

As resources were freed up residential roads were

plowed and gritted for the second time in two days.

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Clean- up included:

Following the event, intersections, bus

stops, dead ends and cul-de-sacs

were cleaned up.

Snow removal on main and residential

streets was prioritized

◦ Precedence was given to all priority

construction areas as well as roads

with substandard travel widths

Removal was completed for a second

time on most main roads due to snow

volumes

◦ Completing two removals before the

end of December is unusual

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The breakdown of expenditures:

◦ $2,735,700 - Applying winter material to roads

◦ $782,700 - Plowing roads

◦ $873,500 - Sidewalks

◦ $7,194,800 - Snow removal

◦ Total cost - $11,787,600

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Snow

Clearing

Application

of Winter

Materials

Snow

RemovalOther Total

Roads $782,700 $2,735,700 $7,194,800 $200,900 $10,914,100

Sidewalks $641,500 $229,200 0 $2,800 $873,500

Storm

Event Total$1,424,200 $2,964,900 $7,194,800 $203,700 $11,787,600

In Review

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Higher than average snowfall of 272cm (236 avg.)

Several large accumulations that enacted the Overnight

Parking Restriction◦ Jan 6, Jan 28, Feb 8, Feb 27/28, Nov 26/27, Dec 20/21

Meanwhile, smaller but longer duration storms also

resulted in a higher than average number of winter storm

days◦ There were 129 days with measurable precipitation versus a 20 year

average of 95 days.

Many winter events also fell on weekends or between

shifts, involving bringing staff in on overtime.

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Large volumes of snow are

hard to manage for

everyone but particularly

older adults and those with

restricted mobility.

The older adult plan had

funded some additional grit

boxes to assist in preventing

accidents in areas with large

populations of older adults.

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In recent years, there has been a shift in the areas

of concentration for snow removal efforts.

Traditionally, snow removal efforts are concentrated

in the core of the city. However, snow removal in

suburban areas has steadily increased.

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Some newer suburban communities have limited

snow storage as a result of more intensive land

use

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Certain routes have

been given a priority

status due to Ottawa

on the Move

construction projects

These priority roads have received increased levels

of service to better accommodate larger volumes of

traffic

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Roads, Traffic Operations & Maintenance

Operating Cost

Description PeriodBudget

(M)

Actual

(M)

Variance

(M)

Winter Operations Jan. through Mar. 39.3 53.9 (14.6)

Spring/Summer/Fall

Operations Apr. through Sept. 49.9 47.0 2.9

Winter Operations Oct. through Dec. 29.9 39.7 (9.8)

119.1 140.6 (21.5)

City tax supported accounts are combined at

year end and disposition rules are applied

Surpluses in other areas will offset most of the

winter operations deficit

Any remaining deficit in winter operations will

come from the Winter Maintenance Reserve

If you have any questions, please contact:

Kevin Wylie

Manager

Roads & Traffic Operations & Maintenance Branch

Public Works Department

Phone: 613-580-2424 ext.19013

Email: kevin.wylie@ottawa.ca

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