Province replaces 10 per cent of winter maintenance fleet

Transportation and Works Minister Trevor Taylor announced today the arrival of the first seven of 30 new replacement snowplows to be inserted into the winter maintenance fleet over the next six weeks. It�s the biggest improvement in the province�s heavy equipment fleet in more than a decade.

"The purchase of these 30 new flyers will result in a more reliable service by reducing the amount of downtime and maintenance associated with having 12 to 15-year-old vehicles in the fleet," Minister Taylor said. "We are replacing 10 per cent of our flyers in a single year to make up for years of the underfunding and neglect of the fleet by the previous administration. We provided an additional $3.5 million in the 2005-06 budget to allow us to retire some of these older vehicles and reduce the age of our fleet."

The new tandem-axle flyers are being manufactured and built specifically for the province at a cost of $165,000 each. All flyers are equipped with a blade in front, a wing at the side, salting and sanding capability and spreader controls. Government spent a total of $6.5 million on new vehicles in 2005-06, an increase of $3.5 million over the previous year.

"We are continuing to upgrade our fleet by ensuring each vehicle is equipped with computerized spreader controls, which allows for the best coverage of the road based on conditions and is better for the environment," Minister Taylor said. "These new flyers will improve our provincial snowclearing operations and result in a more reliable service all across the province.

The replacements are being distributed across the province. At least 20 will arrive before Christmas, with the remainder to be inserted into the fleet by the end of January. As the new trucks are inserted in the fleet, older ones will be taken out or retained as backup units. The province currently has a fleet of 345 trucks, 257 of which are flyers.

Government is committed to the investment in, and adoption of, new technology to improve its operations. The province has contributed $553,000, matched equally by the federal government, for the Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS), to be completed in March 2006. RWIS stations are sensors in the surface and substrate of the pavement that record atmospheric conditions and temperature and wetness of the roads. This information provides forecasting in advance when black ice or other slippery highways conditions may occur, allowing maintenance crews to apply anti-icing agents before the ice and snow bond to the pavement.

Media contact: Tracy Barron, Communications, (709) 729-3015, 691-3577

2005 12 15                             10:05 a.m.