With winter approaching, the Town of High River has their snow clearing plan figured out to keep people moving.
The Town has plow trucks, skid steers, small plows, loaders, a grader, and a broom machine to clear and maintain the roads in town.
Crews in the Public Works department will work alongside contractors to clear their priority routes, downtown High River, sidewalks, walkways, and designated pathways.
Their top priority routes include major roads, such as Macleod Trail, Center Street, and High Country Drive, school bus routes, emergency vehicle routes, busy intersections, hills, and corners.
There will also be contractors clearing the downtown sidewalks and some of the major roads.
These will be cleared within 24 hours of snowfall.
After that, crews will work on the remaining town facilities, intersections, corners, hills, school zones, playground zones, Happy Trails, and any area that gets reported by the RCMP.
These areas will be cleared within 48 hours of a snowfall.
And finally, once those areas are clear, crews will clear residential areas.
When there are prolonged periods of snowfall, or if the snow fall is heavy, the priority routes could need some extra, ongoing care to keep them clear, but crews will work hard to make sure all streets in town are cleared as quickly as they can.
"We appreciate your cooperation and understanding when crews are working hard to clear every street in town as quickly and efficiently as possible!"
While the crews are doing their best to keep the streets and sidewalks clear this winter, there is a way to report snow and ice to the Town, by clicking here.
The Town says that moving vehicles off the street while roads are being cleared will help to keep plow drivers on schedule and efficient.
Even though crews will be clearing public property, it is still up to residents and businesses to clear snow from private property, such as parking lots, vacant properties, private sidewalks, and walkways, with the snow needing to be removed within 24 hours of the snowfall.
There is the Snow Angel Program for those who are unable to clear snow for themselves.
With winter coming, the Town of High River is also reminding people to be careful around bodies of water.
Fluctuating temperatures can make ice unstable, which could cause a person or animal to fall through the ice.
Anyone who falls through the ice should call 9-1-1 as soon as possible.
To read more about snow clearing in High River, click here.