Moncton's icy roads blamed on budget cuts and new road salt
Tori Weldon | CBC News | Posted: January 16, 2018 11:30 AM | Last Updated: January 16, 2018
City plans to spray streets with a new salty solution before storms hit in the future
As Moncton city councillors consider whether they've gone too far with cuts to the snow-clearing budget, some city staff say a new supply of road salt could be to blame.
Residents in Moncton complained to councillors last week after unusually low temperatures and freezing rain left streets packed with snow and sidewalks that were treacherously icy.
Coun. Charles Leger said he's "never had that many phone calls or emails" from the public and referred to the city's St. George Street as a "skating rink."
The deputy mayor also said there's a noticeable difference with the way crews are clearing snow this winter compared to last.
He suggested that council could be to blame for making too many cuts to the snow clearing budget.
"We didn't see sand for days," said a frustrated Leger.
"Maybe we've gone too far now and maybe we need to readjust."
But there's no doubt, he feels "residents are really frustrated."
"Simply to say that it's … weather related and everybody else is the same, I don't buy it."
Safety over budgets
Don Morehouse, the city's director of public works, assured council the roads were not in poor shape because of budget cuts.
"At no time will the city ever compromise our safety over a budget, that could be snow removal, flooding, salt," he said.
"If we need to do a job, we'll do what we have to do."
Morehouse said the city isn't doing anything differently. However, crews are using a different salt on city streets.
He explained the city needed to find a new supplier after the Picadilly mine in Sussex closed about two years ago.
This year Moncton "piggybacked" on a contract the province has with a Windsor Salt. But the new salt doesn't appear to be working as well.
Morehouse was careful in speaking about the Department of Transportation's salt supplier.
"We are seeing from feedback from our operators there's a different performance of the salt," he said.
Weather plays a factor
Morehouse said Windsor Salt comes from the Magdalene Islands and is shipped to the port in Saint John. The weather is also playing a factor in poor road conditions, he said.
"Weather has been a big factor, temperatures have been –17 C, –20 C without the wind chill for long periods of time."
Simply to say that it's … weather related and everybody else is the same, I don't buy it. -Coun. Charles Leger
Morehouse said chunks of ice along the road's surface made for bumpy, slippery conditions on many side streets in the city.
But the city is planning to ramp up a proactive de-icing solution.
This involves spraying streets with a salty solution before storms hit. Meanwhile, a new truck is being outfitted with the ability to deliver the brine.
The city said the salt will come from a different supplier based out of Nova Scotia. Eventually, the two salts will be compared and the best one will be used on Moncton's streets.
"I don't know what we did differently but we need to fix it," said Morehouse.