The task of keeping snow in check is massive

A front-end loader fills a dump truck with snow in the middle of the night at the intersection of Harvey and Ridout Streets. Road crews started a snow lift on Jan. 26 at about 9 p.m. and worked through the night, finishing the next morning. (Jeff Helsdon photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

The challenge of navigating the paths cut through snow banks downtown to access retail stores became much easier last week after town crews executed a snow lift.

Although the process sounds simple, removing the snow that accumulates from the onslaught of snow and cold weather from downtown sidewalks and curbs is actually a well-orchestrated procedure that takes all night.

The process starts by moving the snow from the sidewalks and curbs into the roadway. A Trackless sidewalk unit equipped with a plow, a road grader, and a front-end loader is used to move it onto the road.

“These pieces of equipment work together to pull snow away from buildings and sidewalks and place it into the street,” said Richard Sparham, the town’s manager of public works.

Explaining the process in more detail, he explained once the snow is on the roadway, a road grader is used to form it into narrow, continuous piles reminiscent of windrows formed when harvesting wheat in the old days. A high-capacity snowblower then collects the windrows and loads the snow directly into dump trucks. A front-end loader pitches in when needed.

With the process flowing smoothly, dump trucks – both town-owned and contractor trucks – are lined up like a well-executed military convoy, waiting to haul away the snow.

“At full operational capacity, our snow removal train can remove approximately 200 cubic yards of snow per hour,” Sparham said, adding that 200 cubic yards of snow per hour is equivalent to 20 to 25 dump truck loads. With the operation taking most of the night, it gives a concept of how much snow was actually removed.

The snow is then hauled to a storage site, piled in mounds, and left to melt in warmer weather.

Not only does the snow lift make parking easier, but it also improves safety and visibility for both pedestrians and vehicles in the downtown.