Maintaining Our Network of Roadways

The City of Summerside has 127.4kms of streets and 53kms of sidewalks. The life cycle of the average street is 10 years, and for the average sidewalk, it is 40 years.

We resurface 8kms of street and replace 5.3kms of sidewalk each year for the streets in our City to stay current.

Our Municipal Works department is responsible for the maintenance of our streets, sidewalks, culverts, curbs, and municipal parking lots.

Seasonal Rotation Work Schedule

Work relating to utility operations will occur all year long.  There are times during the year where specific work tasks are scheduled.  The below dates are a tentative guideline.  Please note that work will continue beyond those dates for anything left undone.  Also, any issue reported after those dates will be investigated and actioned based on assessment.

                Lawn & Right of Way Repair - April 15 to May 31
                Street Sweeping - April 21 to October 31
                Traffic Line Painting - May 1 to October 31
                Asphalt Patching - May 20 to July 1
                Sidewalk Repair - June 1 to July 15
                Signage Repair - July 15 to September 15
                Construction Season - June 15 to November 30
                Lift Station Maintenance - August 1 to September 30
                Hydrant Flushing - September 15 to October 31
                Snow Removal - November 15 to April 15

For more information, contact:

Owen MacDonald
Operations Supervisor
Owen.MacDonald@summerside.ca
902-439-5322
City of Summerside, 275 Fitzroy Street, Summerside, PE C1N 1H9

Related City Documents:

Sidewalk Inspection Policy

Existing Sidewalks

Keeping City Streets Cleared of Snow and Ice

Prince Edward Island’s winter weather can take a toll on our streets and sidewalks, but we have crews prepared to handle snowy and icy conditions.

The Summerside Public Works Department’s snow removal equipment includes:

• 7 Snow Plows
• 1 loader
• 1 Parking Lot Plow
• 1 Backhoe
• 3 Widening Snowblowers attachments (for the plows)
• 4 Sidewalk Blades/Blowers/Salters
• 2 Salt Trucks
• 3 Contracted snow plows (1 additional for spare use). 

Snow removal is primarily the responsibility of the Municipal Services Department, Public Works Division of the City of Summerside.

The City’s Police and Public Works staff monitors street conditions and, when required, enforces snow-related procedures.

Equipment personnel keeps plows and salt trucks ready to conduct repairs as necessary during stormy conditions.

We ask our residents to play their part in complying with snow-related ordinances and by reporting slippery intersections and other unsafe areas.

During the winter months, our crews are responsible for clearing and salting:

• 117.7 kms of streets
• 55.1 kms of sidewalks
• 6.3 km of boardwalks
• 33 cul-de-sacs
• 15 municipal building parking lots

The strategy used to plow streets, sidewalks, and other city infrastructure / facilities depends on the interaction of the following factors:

• Time the snow began
• Duration of snowfall
• Type of snow (light/dry or wet/heavy)
• Temperature before and after snowfall
• High winds - drifting
• Snow accumulation
• Available equipment - breakdowns
• Available staff

Snowstorm Operations Timelines:

1. In certain situations, crews may be called to salt the streets before the snow starts or during the first few hours of snow fall.
2. When 5 cm of snow has accumulated on roadways, personnel call-out occurs. Plow operating personnel begin plowing streets, municipal parking lots, and cul-de-sacs.
3. Personnel are called in for street salting, sidewalk plowing and salting operations 2 hours after road plowing starts.
4. Approximately 4.5 hours after roadway plowing, start and stop of snowfall, all streets should be opened.
5. Approximately 10 hours after roadway plowing, start and stop of snowfall, all sidewalks should be opened.

This timing does get adjusted based on equipment and staff availability.

Snow Clearing Priorities

1. Primary Roads: Plowing begins as soon as possible
2. Secondary Roads: Plowing begins after primary routes are passable.
3. Municipal parking lots: Plowing to occur as required. This includes both Fire Halls, the Police Department, City Hall, the Waste Water Pollution plant, the electric plant, Credit Union Place other municipal parking lots.

The following day, some touch up work is done and re-salting occurs where necessary.

Winter maintenance operations may be suspended when a winter storm causes blinding conditions that affect the safety of personnel and of residents who should not be on these roads when these conditions occur. We ask for the public’s patience as our crews always do their best to keep roads clear.

Emergency calls (902-432-1201 / 911) from the City Police and City Fire Departments regarding accidents or medical or other emergency situations are given top priority. Upon request of the appropriate agency, the Public Works Department will provide assistance as necessary. Operations personnel are contacted by the City Police Dispatch personnel during these times.

Note: This is also the case while plowing is ongoing in any areas which are not yet cleared. High priority assigned to snow and ice control, and almost all other Public Works operations become secondary to snow fighting operations.

Ensuring Pedestrian Safety

There are 53kms of sidewalks in the City, which cost the city approximately $300,000 annually to maintain for the safety and efficient movement of pedestrians.

Technical Services conducts regular sidewalk inspections and forwards any repair needs to Municipal Works.

We are responsible for:

• Maintenance of concrete, asphalt/brick sidewalks, and walkways
• Installation and maintenance of access ramps
• Maintenance of grass medians and other green spaces
• Snow and ice control
• Life cycle management of sidewalk assets

If you see a sidewalk in disrepair, contact us by phone at 902-432-1268. Our staff will do their best to investigate your concern as soon as possible. When necessary, our staff may temporarily block off a section of sidewalk with orange cones and barricades until a proper repair can be carried out to make the sidewalk safe for everyone.

Seasonal Rotation Schedule

The below work processes are done annually and the dates are a guideline. Please note that work will continue beyond those dates for anything left undone. Also, any issue reported after those dates will be investigated and actioned based on assessment.
Sidewalk Repair - June 1 to July 15
Construction Season - June 15 to November 30
Snow Removal - November 15 to April 15 

Related City Documents:

• Existing Sidewalks Map
• Sidewalk Investigation Policy