Winter Snow & Ice Control Operations

Our crews work hard to prepare and maintain more than 4,000km of roads for winter conditions in Surrey.

There are 3 levels of priority for snow removal on roads in Surrey:

• Priority 1: First priority for snow removal. This includes high-volume arterial, major collector roads and steeply graded roads.
• Priority 2: Second priority for snow removal. This includes all secondary roads within residential areas and access roads to long-term care facilities.
• Priority 3: Third priority for snow removal. These roads will be cleared starting with more significant roads, hill areas, and identified problem locations.

Check a road's priority

Use this tool to check what priority a specific road is. Input your address and see the nearest snow plow route.

Look Up ADDRESs and see priority routes

 You can also see current road conditions with our live-streaming traffic cameras.

Snow plow tracker

Follow our winter equipment to better plan your trip! This tracker activates when plowing starts, and provides approximate timeframes for areas that were last serviced.

See map in full screen.

How you can help

Help your neighbours

Give your neighbours a hand shoveling snow, especially if they are seniors or have limited mobility. Ask friends or neighbours for help if you are unable or away.

Shovel snow onto your lawn, not the street

Shovelling snow onto the street creates more work for snow plows, slowing down the clearing process.

A snow plow pushes snow to the right road-edge of the street and cannot carry snow away. Unfortunately, this means that sometimes snow may be pushed back onto your driveway or sidewalk, even if you have already shoveled it. If this happens to you, please shovel the snow onto your lawn to keep the streets and sidewalk clean and safe for your neighbours and other drivers.

If you have a fire hydrant in front of your home, please clear the snow around it for easy emergency access.

Keep curb free from debris and bins

Remove any waste collection carts off roadways where snow plowing may take place. Clear your carts of snow and ice to make pick-up easier and more efficient. Check the collection schedule for notices about delayed collection.

Clear catch basins

Help keep catch basins free of debris and snow, especially during melting conditions. Blocked catch basins may result in excess buildup of water along the road area. This could become dangerous if it freezes and may also result in flooding of nearby properties.

Park off-street

Avoid parking on the street to allow plows and salt trucks room to safely clear streets. Park your vehicle in your driveway or along the same side as your neighbours, if possible.

Talk to your neighbours about all parking on one side of the road. Keeping one side curb free allows for better snow plow access. It also helps avoid possible snow pileup on your car from the snow plow.

Keep sidewalks clear

Clear sidewalks make winter walking safer for everyone. Be a good neighbour and clear snow from sidewalks around your property before 10am after a snowfall.

If you do not clear your sidewalks, you may be fined under City of Surrey’s Highway and Traffic Bylaw:

• Business: $80 per day
• Residential: $55 per day

If a business or resident is reported for un-shovelled sidewalks, they will be issued a notice. If they do not respond within the set time period, they will be fined.

Ice control & snow removal plan

We know how important it is for residents to get to where they want to go safely and winter conditions add an extra challenge. The Ice Control and Snow Removal Plan outlines how crews will respond to snow and ice before, during and after snowfall.

Equipment

There are 71 total units of equipment outfitted for winter maintenance ready to anti-ice roads and clear snow, an industry-leading salt supply of 17,000 metric tons and street crews of hundreds of personnel prepared to respond.

This includes:

• 22 dump trucks
• 26 one-tonne trucks
• 2 graders
• 10 brine units
• 11 backhoes

Surrey’s winter maintenance program uses state-of-the-art technologies, such as the Road Weather Information System, Traffic Camera Network, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) and Turn-by-Turn Route Assistance, all working together to create the strongest municipal snow fighting network in the province.

Predictive forecasting

We work with a meteorologist to forecast patterns for Surrey’s various micro-climates and follow weather reports 24/7. Our Road Weather Information System gives us additional information using remote sensing equipment at various sites throughout the city providing air and road temperatures as well as surface grip, allowing us to dispatch resources according to specific conditions.

Snow plowing

When it snows our crews will clear roads based on road priority. Depending on the severity of the snow, our crews operate on a 24-hour cycle.

Anti-icing program (road brining)

Starting in early November, crews pre-treat dry road surfaces of major arterial roads with liquid salt brine upon forecasted snow or icy conditions. This places a protective anti-icing skim coat on the pavement surface prior to a winter event, making it difficult for ice to form on the roadway and easier for plows to remove snow once it falls.