Snow clearing priorities

Priority system and map

County crews follow a priority system based on the Winter Maintenance Policy to clear winter roads. High-volume and high-speed roads are sanded and cleared first.

Winter Roads 101 (220.4 KB) provides an overview of the priorities for Sherwood Park and rural Strathcona County. Snow removal is completed simultaneously in both areas.

Our winter priorities map is a web-based, interactive map allowing users to see their road classification/priority.

Launch full interactive map

Download pdf versions of the winter priorities maps:

Snow clearing in Sherwood Park

Priority 1 - Major thoroughfares and arterials
Snow accumulation of 2-5 cm
Cleared within 12 hours after accumulation stops

Priority 2 – Minor arterials and school drop zones
Snow accumulation of 5-7 cm
Cleared within 12 hours after accumulation stops
(drop zones within 72 hours)

Priority 3 – Snow Routes (collector roads)
Snow accumulation of 15-21 cm
Cleared within 8 days after accumulation stops
See a complete list of snow routes. (190.9 KB)

Priority 4 – Residential streets
Snow accumulation of 10 cm compacted snow (7 cm after Jan.1)
Cleared within 12 days after accumulation stops

Snow clearing on rural roads

Priority 1 – Major industrial roads
Snow accumulation of 2-5 cm
Cleared within 12 hours

Priority 2 – Major thoroughfares that service schools and recreation facilities
Snow accumulation of 5-7 cm
Cleared within 12 hours (after priority 1 cleared)

Priority 3 – Remaining grid roads
Snow accumulation of 5-7 cm
Cleared within 72 hours (after priority 2 cleared)

Priority 4 – Country residential and Hamlet roads
Snow accumulation of 5-7 cm
Cleared within 48 hours (after priority 3 cleared)

Highways

Find information on snow clearing on highways in Strathcona County on our highway maintenance page..

Sidewalks and trails

Strathcona County maintains over 200 km of trails in Sherwood Park and rural hamlets. Following a priority system, it can take up to eight days from the start of the snowfall to clear all trails and sidewalks.

Under the County’s sidewalk clearing bylaw, residents have eight days from the start of a snowfall to clear the areas adjacent to their property. Visit our sidewalk clearing page for tips and to learn about free rock chips you can use to manage icy areas around your home.

Transit stops and parking lots

Strathcona County Transit bus stops are cleared in conjunction with sidewalks and trails. Priority is given to stops located along arterial roads and then those located along collector roads.

County owned parking lots are cleared following the completion of school drop off and when the snow depths meet our Winter Maintenance Policy guidelines of greater than 5 centimetres.