Historic Snow Event
Edmonton experienced a history-making snowfall this 2025/2026 Winter Season. Let's dive in.
Policy C409 Priorities
Priority 1: Arterials/Freeways (The Grid).
Priority 2: Collectors/Bus Routes.
Priority 3: Residential/Alleys.
When snow falls (2cm), crews MUST reset to P1.
The 24/7 Operations Reality
Crews run non-stop. But Residential roads = 9,000 lane km (75% of the network). The sheer volume (72cm) exceeded physical storage space, slowing every kilometer of clearing.
The Budget We Have vs. The Service You Want
Current State: We have the SNIC program we budgeted for ($67M Base).
Future State: This can change. Use the Budget Simulator below to see what "more robust" service actually costs.
Build your own Snow and Ice Control (SNIC) Program Budget
The budget is a balance of cost vs. convenience. Use the sliders to determine service levels. Watch the dashboard to see the tax impact.
Note: This SNIC budget is extracted from the general municipal budget for visualization purposes.City Comparators: The "Sprawl Tax"
Edmonton (Base)
Calgary
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Fleet & Physics
Arterials: Use High-Speed Plows (60km/h). They push snow quickly to the side.
Residential: Requires Graders (10km/h) to scrape hard-packed ice. Because they move 6x slower, it takes 6x longer to clear a neighborhood than a freeway.
-10°C: Salt (NaCl) stops melting snow.
-25°C: Calcium Chloride stops working.
-30°C: Sand provides grip, but no melting occurs. "Bare Pavement" is chemically impossible in deep freezes without extreme expense.