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Roads & Sidewalk Maintenance
From November 1 to April 15 of the following year, we plow, sand, salt and remove snow from:
The Town is required to meet the Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways (MMS). The MMS are standards from the Province of Ontario for road maintenance. Snow and ice are removed within a specified time frame. Standards can vary by road class, speed limit and traffic volume on a roadway.
When 2-3 inches of snow has accumulated, crews begin to work on roads and sidewalks along main routes; when snow levels reach 3-4 inches, plows will visit secondary/local roads and sidewalks. Staff watch temperature and snowfall amounts closely. Plows may be diverted from one area to another during weather events. This helps maintain routes with high traffic, safely and more efficiently.
Main roads aim to be plowed within 6-12 hours after snowfall has ended, and all other roads within 12-16 hours after snowfall has ended. We aim to have all sidewalks clear within 48 hours. The length of time it will take to plow roads, depends on:
The Town has:
Each of these vehicles have an assigned route.
The Town of Huntsville has 9 dedicated plow routes. Each route takes about 6-7 hours to complete. Our drivers operate on a split shift model during the weekdays.
Reminder: Please keep a safe distance back from plows, avoid passing, and be patient with plow drivers.
Main routes focus on main roads which carry large traffic volume, such as:
These roads are the first priority roads and are maintained to a bare pavement condition.
Designated secondary routes focus on the streets that link the main routes. Links could include:
These streets are the second priority and are maintained to a centre bare pavement condition.
Secondary/local routes include all streets that:
These streets are not brought to a bare pavement condition but are plowed and sanded as necessary to provide safe travel. These routes are serviced after the main and designated secondary routes have been cleared.
The District of Muskoka owns and maintains many roads in the Town's limits. Check the list of District roads if you are unsure who maintains a road.
If you have a plowing concern on a District road, contact:
Snow removal is different to snow plowing. Plowing pushes snow to road edges, whereas removal is when crews take away the large banks that pile up on road edges or in parking lots.
Town-owned parking lots are generally cleared between midnight and 6 a.m. If a vehicle is parked in a lot between these hours, it may get plowed in.
View the parking map to find out where to park safely during the winter months.
The Town’s winter operations deeply impact the community – and vice versa. There are many ways residents can help keep the Town’s plows on time and on task. As the winter weather approaches, please consider the following:
A windrow is the row of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after the snow plow has cleared the road. As the snow is moved from left to right by the snow plow, it is deposited in a long narrow pile along the right edge of the road. Windrows are unavoidable when snow is plowed in this manner.
Driveway windrows cannot be avoided by raising or lowering the front plow or side "wing" plow on the snow plow. Doing this would leave snow deposited on the travelled portion of the road which is unsafe for road users.
Homeowners are responsible for clearing windrows.
Why does the plow dump more snow on corner lots?
Residents living on corner lots usually have slightly more snow deposited in front of their houses as there is a larger portion of roadway that needs to be cleared at an intersection.
Why can't the sidewalk plow and road plow come down my street at the same time?
Unfortunately, due to the variations in the plow routes; the difference in the capability and speed of sidewalk plows versus road plows; and the difference in priority routes; it is near impossible to align the timing and scheduling of the sidewalk and road plowing operations.
Contact Us
Town of Huntsville
37 Main St. East
Huntsville, Ontario
P1H 1A1
Open Monday to Friday 8:30 – 4:30
Phone: 705-789-1751 option 0
Fax: 705-788-5153
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