Minister advises public of government�s snow clearing practices

Tom Rideout, Minister of Transportation and Works, today advised of government�s snow clearing practices.

Minister Rideout said: "We, as a government, are cognizant of the need to have roads cleared as quickly as possible following inclement weather, and my department endeavors to do its very best. Our crews have been working continuously in recent weeks to ensure the province�s primary and secondary roads are clear of snow and accessible for users. I would like to thank our employees for their hard work and dedication to the people of our province and the roads they travel."
The department is using the same number of maintenance supervisors, equipment operators and pieces of equipment as in previous years for snow clearing purposes. The crews operate under the same schedules as they have for decades, including those used by previous administrations. "To suggest otherwise is an inaccurate reflection of our government�s policy regarding snow clearing," said the minister.

"Clearing our roads takes time, particularly when we receive the amount of snow we have recently," said the minister. "Our crews and staff work very long hours ensuring that our roads are cleared for motorists. We push our equipment to its utmost limit and have also enlisted the assistance of private operators, when needed, in an effort to clear our roads.

"Recently, the Eastern portion of the province received some very bad weather. In particular, the Burin and Bonavista peninsulas, the Trans Canada Highway and the Conception Bay North region have been very badly hit. All major roads including Routes 230 and 235 on the Bonavista Peninsula and Routes 210 and 220 on the Burin Peninsula are opened to two full lanes with fair to good driving conditions. We also have two hired loaders for the Bonavista Peninsula. They are working with our crews to widen all side roads.

"Using ice-controlling agents, we have been able to make great improvements along the Trans Canada Highway on the Avalon Peninsula, as the weather has improved. We�ve also been able to apply sand and salt to roads in the Conception Bay North region and there are no road closures in the area," said the minister.

"While our equipment is aging, we are making every effort to modernize the fleet and are doing whatever maintenance the department can. While the previous administration neglected to replace some of our older snow clearing equipment, we continue to balance our needs with our limited resources," said Minister Rideout.

"Our government values the safety and well-being of our residents when travelling on our highways. To that end we have, on our Web site, highway cameras and a road conditions report that are updated regularly," said the minister. "We encourage all residents to check road and weather conditions before they travel."

For the updated road conditions report and live highway cameras, please visit the Department of Transportation and Works� Web site at //www.roads.gov.nl.ca/

Media contact: Lori Lee Oates, ABC, Communications, (709) 729-3015 or (709) 690-8403

2005 02 04                   4:10 p.m.