SD&G – It’s probably the last topic you would want to hear this time of year – drifting snow.
But SD&G county council is looking at ways to cut back on drifted-in areas on county roads in the dead of winter, which aren’t solved by regular snow plowing.
The county will be approaching some landowners to see if they’re interested in being part of a snow fencing program.
If you travelled the north end of Highway 138 around Tayside last winter you would have seen snow fencing in farmer’s fields. It was part of a pilot project by the Ministry of Transportation.
The county will look at a similar program modeled after the successful pilot, but some councillors suggested the $13,000 per fence kilometer compensation by the MTO was a little rich for an upper tier government.
In order for the snow fencing to be effective, it has to be farther away from the road that the municipal right-of-way.
The problem areas where landowners will be contacted are County Road 31 north of Winchester, County Road 34 near the Baudet River (south of Green Valley), and County Road 14 near Bunker Hill (north of Osnabruck Center).
County Coun. Tammy Hart suggested the two S-curves north of Osnabruck Center “are brutal” and snow fencing would be helpful.
Engineer Ben de Haan believes a multi-year agreement would alleviate damage to the snow fencing, the county would supply, since the landowners would be reponsible for it.
A plan will be coming back to county council later this summer.
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