Montreal has had quite the mix of wintry weather these past few days, everything from snow to ice to rain.
While not much snow has fallen, the mild temperatures on Friday, coupled with rain and the return of cold weather, have left several city streets and sidewalks covered in ice.
City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said crews have been out tackling the mess since Friday morning, but admitted there was some work left to do.
“Some sidewalks in residential areas need some more attention,” he said. “But we do have enough trucks on the road, enough crews and so we are in control of the situation.”
About 200 trucks were still out on Saturday afternoon, Sabourin said, ensuring conditions were safe for pedestrians to get around.
The work includes salting the roadways and sidewalks several times.
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Sabourin explained various factors come in to play when deciding whether salt will be spread out more than once.
“In the residential areas, where there is not a lot of sun, then we have to go back,” he said.
Sabourin also explained that sometimes the salt, which causes the ice to melt, leaves behind water residue and requires further salting.
“We’ve already salted all the sidewalks in every borough at least twice,” he said, adding crews will go out a third time where necessary.
The city’s road maintenance network includes 6,000 km of sidewalks and 4,000 km of roads.
Sabourin said residents are invited to call 311 to signal any problem areas, or to use the city’s new app, Montréal – Resident Services application.
“With the app, it’s possible to take a picture of the sidewalk and send it directly to the city,” Sabourin said. “An individualized follow up will be done and we will clean up the sidewalk as soon as we can.”
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