Sign In
Normal Size Large Size Largest Size Switch Contrast Accessibility
City of Vaughan
Welcome to the City of Vaughan
Official Website.

QUICKMENU

Use the drop down arrow below to navigate through our site

Search
Advanced Search
  • Print Friendly Icon

Home > Services > Residential Services > Transportation and Fleet Management Services > Roads Division > Elimination of Sand from De-Icing Mixtures in Urbanized Areas
Greening Winter
Page Content

Elimination of Sand from De-Icing Mixtures in Urbanized Areas

​The City no longer uses a sand/salt mixture in the urban areas.  In previous winters, the City would apply a mixture of 70% salt and 30% sand to its roads to de-ice the roadway.  The sand portion has been eliminated, and only the salt portion is applied.

This change helps:

  • reduce spring clean up costs
  • reduce dust on roads in dry conditions
  • reduce the frequency of catch basin cleaning
  • reduce silting of storm water channels and ponds
  • spreader vehicles cover more territory before having to refill with material

Note:  Sand is used in the rural areas on the gravel roads.  No salt is applied.

Click on the icon for a copy of Vaughan's Salt Management Plan.

Alternative De-Icing Materials
This winter, the City will continue to experiment with alternative de-icing materials.  The test products are made from road salt mixed with performance enhancers.  These alternative de-icers work faster at  lower temperatures and do not bounce off the roadways as easily as normal rock salt.  In other words, the material stays where it is needed.

Public Works staff will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these products over the winter, and will be reporting those results back to Council.

The City of Vaughan Uses Leading Edge Technology to Battle Winter 
 
During winter, the City of Vaughan uses two anti-icing units to help address adverse winter conditions and ice formation on roadways.  Each truck has a large tank from which salt brine (sale-water solution) is applied to the road surface.  This anti-icing measure takes place before a storm arrives to help prevent ice from forming on roadways.  This practice is especially effective on bridges and steep inclines.  The City of Vaughan is committed to utilizing the latest technology to keep the roads safe for everyone.
 

 Contact Information

 

Transportation Services, Parks and Forestry Operations

Phone:
905-832-2281

Email:
parks@vaughan.ca

Location:
Joint Operations Centre
2800 Rutherford Road
Vaughan
L4K 2N9

 

 ‭(Hidden)‬ Additional Resources

 
 

 Related Links

 
Page Content 2

City of Vaughan silhouette
© 2023 City of Vaughan. All Rights Reserved.​​
  • NEWSROOM
  • CONTACT US
  • SITE MAP
  • PRIVACY STATEMENT AND TERMS OF USE
  • SUPPORT
  • ACCESSIBILITY
Accessible formats or communication supports are available upon request.