We may lower the speed limit on Whoop-Up Drive to 60 km/h, in winter road conditions. We adjust variable speed limit signs to reduce collisions and enhance traffic safety. according to conditions or scheduled road maintenance.

• When conditions start to improve, we will not raise the limit back to 90 km/h immediately. The risk of flash freezing on the bridge deck may still exist, even when conditions look good. This is common early in the morning or late in the afternoon when traffic is heaviest.
• We raise the speed limit when road conditions and the bridge deck temperature have stabilized.
• We track the forecast and conditions to make the speed limit decisions. Lowering the speed limit on the Whoop-Up Drive hill adds a just over a minute to the commute. Your safety is our primary concern.
• Speed limits may also be reduced to accommodate scheduled road maintenance

Dedicated staff are on a winter storm watch shifts providing 24 hour coverage – 7 days per week. Shifts are scheduled for the most maintenance coverage throughout the winter months.

All parking lots are the responsibility of the property owner. This includes parking lots owned by the school boards, hospital and other businesses. City owned parking lots are done under contract.

Our City snow and ice control fleet consists of the following:

Street and Road Maintenance

6 Tandems with Sanders and Front Snow Plows
3 Tandems with Sanders, Front Snow Plows & Side Wing Plows
2 Tandems with Sanders, Anti-icing Capabilities & Front Snow Plows
1 Tandem with Sander, Anti-icing Tank, Under-Body & Front Snow Plows
1 Three-ton Single Axle Truck with Sander,
2 Graders
2 Front End Loaders
1 Front End Loader with Plow
1 Two-ton Single Axle Truck with Front-End Plow & Sander
2 Snow Blowers

Sidewalk & Pathway Maintenance 

7 - 4 wheel drive mowers with broom, blade and snow blower attachments.
1 tractor with snow blade.
6 trucksters with snow blades and sanding capabilities.
3 skid steer loaders with snow buckets, brooms, blades and snow blower attachments.
10 back pack snow blowers.
Various 3 ton, 1 ton, crew cab, and ½ ton trucks c/w trailers as required

*Note: Trucks to haul snow are contracted and used as/when necessary.  In addition, various pieces of heavy equipment with operators are available on a contractual basis. A tender is prepared yearly by the Public Operations Account Support Technician of available contractors with various equipment.

We consider pavement temperature, current weather conditions and forecast in our ice control efforts. We pre-wet sand so that the sand and salt we apply to the roadways will be more effective under varying weather and road conditions. In extreme cold, sand and salt do not stick to the existing ice on roadways. Drive with caution in extreme cold to better manage icy conditions.

• Slow down and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.
• Stay alert to identify and prepare for dangerous situations before you reach them.
• When driving down hills such as Whoop-Up Drive or Bridge Drive, shift down a gear before you descend and let your engine help prevent you from picking up speed so you don't have to apply the brakes suddenly to slow down.
• Please leave plenty of room for our snow plows, graders and sanding trucks. Don’t pass plows or graders while they are working. If you give us room to work, we can get the job done faster for you!

In areas where we remove snow, it's plowed into a row, collected and then hauled to a snow disposal site. These sites are designed to handle the amount of snow that Lethbridge gets in a typical winter. Each site has to meet provincial and federal environmental regulations to store snow. The disposal sites are built with a mesh liner under a gravel pad, and grading to ensure that melting snow run off only goes into the storage ponds.

The City of Lethbridge installs snow fences to reduce drifting and blowing snow caused by winds. We install approximately 17 km of snow fencing before each winter season.

The Snow and Ice Control Policy can be viewed here.