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# Salting & Plowing Roads
Before the snow starts to fall, patrols continuously check road conditions and staff monitor weather forecasts and pavement temperature. Crews work to clear Toronto's road lanes, sidewalks and cycle tracks (including separated bike lanes, on-road bike lanes and multi-use trails) until the storm is over.
## When Roads are Salted & Plowed
| Road Type | When does the City start salting? | How many hours does it take to salt each round?\* | When does the City start plowing? | How many hours does it take to plow each round?\* |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Expressways (Don Valley Parkway & Gardiner Expressway) | When snow first accumulates | 2 hours | 2.5 cm | 2 hours |
| Major roads, transit routes and streets with hills | When snow first accumulates | 4 hours | 5 cm | 6-8 hours |
| Residential streets | When snow first accumulates | 8 hours | 8 cm | 14 hours |
*\*It may take multiple rounds to clear a road due to ongoing snowfall.*
Detailed Levels of Service
### Direct Liquid Application (brine)
In advance of snow or ice, anti-ice trucks will apply salt brine to expressways, hills and bridges. People who drive should always keep a safe distance behind the brine trucks. You can tell where salt brine has been applied by the grey lines left by the salt on the road surface.
| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Initiation Level | Maximum Operating Time | Required Outcome |
| Expressway | As required | 6 hours | Visible salt residue |
| Arterials | As required | 6 hours | Visible salt residue |
| Collector | As required | 6 hours | Visible salt residue |
### Salting Operations
| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Initiation Level | Maximum Operating Time | Required Outcome |
| Expressway | < 2.5 cm | 2 hours | Bare pavement |
| Arterials | < 5 cm | 4 hours | Bare pavement |
| Collector | < 8 cm | 4 hours | Centre bare |
| Local Roads | < 8 cm | 8 hours | Safe and passable |
| Laneways | 24 hours from end of snowfall | | Safe and passable |
### Plowing Operations
| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Initiation Level | Maximum Operating Time | Required Outcome |
| Expressway | 2.5 cm | 2 hours | Bare pavement |
| Arterials | 5 cm | 6 hours | Bare pavement |
| Collector | 8 cm | 8 hours | Centre bare |
| Local Roads | 8 cm | 14 hours | Safe and passable |
| Windrow Clearing | Same as adjacent roadway plus 2 hours | | Safe and passable |
### Combined Salting & Plowing Operations
| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | Initiation Level | Maximum Operating Time | Required Outcome |
| Sidewalks | 2 cm | 12 hours | Safe and passable |
| Bus Stops & Pedestrian Crossovers | 2 cm | 12 hours | Safe and passable |
| All Cycling Infrastructure | 2 cm | 8 hours | Safe and passable / Bare pavement |
| Hand Crews | Same as work area | | |
#### Required Outcome Definitions
Example of a "safe and passable" residential street after snow clearing.
* **Bare pavement:** denotes fully cleared snow from a driving surface.
* **Centre bare:** indicates 2.5 m of snow is cleared from the centre of a driving surface.
* **Safe and passable:** a road surface that is free from as much ice and snow as is practical and may be traveled safely at reasonable speed.
Learn how City manages salt use and balances the need to keep roads safe with environmental considerations.
You can report a snow related issue to 311 by creating a service request.
Driveway Windrow Openings
### Residential Streets
Using a specialized machine that follows the snow plows, crews will clear three meter wide driveway openings on eligible residential streets.
### Collector and Arterial Roads
Using a specialized machine that follows the snow plows, crews will clear three meter wide driveway openings on eligible collector and arterial roads if the windrow (snow pile) exceeds 25 centimeters.
### Timeline
We aim to clear three meter wide driveway windrows within two hours of road plowing. However, the time needed to complete windrow clearing depends on a variety of factors such as the size of the plow driver's route, the amount of snow that has accumulated, on-street parking and other potential obstructions.
Windrows are only cleared when they result from street plowing operations.
Background Information & Staff Reports
### Winter Contracts
City Council approved 11 consolidated contracts to deliver winter maintenance services for all roads, bikeways and sidewalks within a precise geographic zone. The 11 new contracts began November 2022 and will continue for seven years, with three additional single option years.
### City Council Staff Reports & Member Motions
#### 2025
* November 12-14: 2025 Winter Maintenance Program Review Update (EX27.2)
#### 2024
* July 24: Annual Winter Maintenance Report (IE15.3)
* March 27: Major Snow Event Response Plan Update (IE12.7)
#### 2023
* July 19: Winter Maintenance Program Follow-Up: Status of Previous Auditor General's Recommendations and Processes to Hold Contractors Accountable to New Contract Terms (AU2.6)
#### 2022
* April 6: January 16 and 17, 2022 Major Snow Event, Post-Operational Report (IE28.11)
* February 2: Major Snow Event Post-Operational Report (EX29.15)
#### 2021
* December 15: Award of Negotiated Request for Proposals to Various Suppliers for the Provision of Winter Maintenance Services (IE26.4)
* July 14: Winter Road Maintenance Program - Phase 2 Analysis: Deploying Resources (AU9.11)
* June 8: Mechanical Sidewalk Winter Maintenance Trial (IE22.13)
* April 7: Excessive Salt Use on Our Sidewalks - by Councillor Paula Fletcher, seconded by Councillor Mike Layton (MM31.2)
Date modified: March 9, 2026