The ABCs of Winter Highway Classification and Maintenance

winter maintenance snow plow
Want to go for a snow plow ride along? Click on image.

Our maintenance contractors work hard every day to keep BC highways safe and traffic moving smoothly. Because British Columbia is a geographically diverse province, our contractors can face any number of unique challenges where highway maintenance is concerned, especially in winter. In order to make sure they understand exactly what is expected of them in their day to day operations,Β we outline our maintenance requirements in detail. Part of that detail involves classifying provincial highways to prioritize how and when they are maintained.

Winter Maintenance Classifications and What They Mean

BC highways are classified A, B, C, D, E & F and are maintained in that order.

Class β€œA” roads are higher volume, higher speed routes. These are the main interprovincial highways and commuter routes throughout the province and they generally have over 5,000 (or more) vehicles per day travelling on them during the winter. These routes are our first priority during a winter storm event, and you will see our contractor’s resources there first. Highway 1, 3, 5, 16, and 97 are examples of class A roads.

Class β€œB” roads are all other numbered highways and busier sideroads. These tend to be numbered highways that are regionally important and have 1,000-5,000 vehicles per day during the winter, but don’t act as main interprovincial highways or busy commuter routes. Good examples are Highway 35 from to Francois Lake, Highway 28 to Gold River or Mount Baldy Road.

Class β€œC” roads include school bus routes to safety get those kids to and from school safety, larger volume industrial routes, and busier sideroads. These tend to be the main collector roads in subdivisions and where larger trucks and buses operate.

Class β€œD” roads are subdivision sideroads with residents. Chances are, if you live rurally in BC and are not on a school bus route, you live on a Class D road.

Class β€œE” roads are very low volume and generally get plowed a few times a year, as needed.

Class β€œF” roads are not maintained in the winter at all. Roads classified as β€œF” might be maintained for summer traffic but have no need for winter access, or these may just be roads that aren’t maintained at all (outside of periodic inspections).

What does that mean for you? Β 

Well, the higher the classification of road – the more quickly you can expect to see maintenance equipment. During storms, contractor resources, will be focused on getting those higher classification roads cleared, moving to lower classification roads as weather permits (and within the allowable timeframe outlined in our specifications). With over 47, 000 km of roads to look after across a province as big as BC – they simply can’t get to all of them at the same time. The goal of this system is to have the best conditions on the routes with the most β€œroad kilometers” driven.

During storms, the focus is to keep these main routes open, safe and flowing. Our maintenance contractors putΒ all their equipment into action to make sure that our highways remain safe. They also continuously update road condition information onΒ DriveBC, so you can knowΒ what to expect beforeΒ you go. After a storm, they review their performance to make sure they can provide the best service possible in the next bout of nasty weather.

Can highway classifications change?

Yes. If a route becomes more popular or sees an increase in commercial traffic,Β we may upgrade its classification and increase highway operations on that route. It’s all about safety. Changes like this mean an increase in the maintenance commitment, resulting in more frequent patrols and quicker response times, and more plowing, snow removal, and salt and sand applications.

How can I find out what my road class is?

Want to find out the winter classification of a road in your area? You can do that.

The Province of B.C. has created a web app called iMapBC, which allows you to search the winter classification of our routes, among many other tidbits of important provincial info. Here’s how:

1.Navigate to iMapBC at https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/imap4m/
2. Select the β€œData Sources” tab
3. Choose β€œAdd Provincial Layers” button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you to add or remove information. Scroll down to and select β€œTransportation”
4. Scroll to β€œMinistry of Transportation – Linear Inventory” and choose/select
5. Scroll to β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” and choose/select
6. Click Okay to close pop-up screen.
7. Underneath the Data Sources tab, you will see a β€œMy Layers” button. Select this tab.
8. β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” should appear with a check mark in the box beside it.
9. To the right of this check mark is a small bullet list icon. Click/select this icon and the legend of Winter Classification letters, corresponding colours and details should appear underneath the layer title.
10. Zoom into the area you are looking for on the map to the right to view the colour for your desired roadway (Hint: you might have to scroll down to a very high level to see the corresponding colour).
11. If you do not see a colour revealed on a roadway, that road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and you should follow up with the local municipality for more information.

Meanwhile, this interactive mapΒ shows service area boundaries.

Phew. That’s a lot of info, we know, but we hope it’s helpful. If you found this information interesting, you might also like to check out a few of our other, related blogs:

What questions about winter highway maintenance or highway classification do you have? Let us know in the comments below or connect with us on Twitter or Facebook. We look forward to talking with you.

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Page 1 of 173 comments on “The ABCs of Winter Highway Classification and Maintenance”

Leave a Reply to Raegan Spence Cancel reply

  1. Hello,
    I live in Eagle Bay. I believe my roads are classed as a β€œd”. I’ve reached out to Aim in April asking when the gravel would be washed from our roads. The response was into June. It’s now July and the roads have not been touched. We’ve had slips on the paved roads because of the amount of gravel Our area is Eagle Bay Estates, Torry road, Reid Road and Arlene Crescent. I can’t seem to get a response from Aim. Can you please let me know when we could expect these roads to be cleaned ? My patience is running out

    • Hi Tracy.
      Thanks for connecting with us here. We have forwarded your question to the Operations Manager for this region and will reply again here once we hear back. Please stay tuned.

  2. Not sure how other towns are, but in Riondel is appears the renters are allowed to use the road ROW as a place to live on and store as much stuff as they want. We have a few houses in town now where renters are keeping “unlicensed” 30ft RV trailers on the ROW for 2 years now. Also have another renter who stores 3 vehicles, utility trailer and big RV trailer (which his daughter lives in year-round) on the ROW. Shame on the landlords for using the ROW as rental income. The big RV trailers block line of sight when trying to park in driveways and you must pull out into traffic until you can see the cars coming. I would recommend increasing the landlords’ taxes… since they are getting extra rent already renting the ROW… which they do not own. Not sure why the MOTI does not do something about this… not top priority, but some streets look like a garbage dump and someone walking is going to get hit by a car navigating around these RV trailers. There is plenty of storage places on the east shore to park your trailer, or do what everyone else does. Put it in your backyard. Would be great if the MOTI got involved.

  3. Not sure how other towns are, but in Riondel is appears the renters are allowed to use the road ROW as a place to live on and store as much stuff as they want. We have a few houses in town now where renters are keeping “unlicensed” 30ft RV trailers on the ROW for 2 years now. Also have another renter who stores 3 vehicles, utility trailer and big RV trailer (which his daughter lives in year-round) on the ROW. Shame on the landlords for using the ROW as rental income. The big RV trailers block line of sight when trying to park in driveways and you must pull out into traffic until you can see the cars coming. I would recommend increasing the landlords’ taxes… since they are getting extra rent already renting the ROW… which they do not own. Not sure why the MOTI does not do something about this… not top priority, but some streets look like a garbage dump and someone walking is going to get hit by a car navigating around these RV trailers. There is plenty of storage places on the east shore to park your trailer, or do what everyone else does. Put it in your backyard. Would be great if the MOTI got involved.

    • Hi there, Exhaust – thanks for reaching out to us here to share your concern. We encourage you to reach out to our staff in the nearest local area office for a conversation on what can be done in this area. Here is a link to a list of our offices in the Southern Interior region.

      https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-reports-and-reference/regional-district-contacts/southern-interior-region

      The West Kootenay District is likely your first choice.
      West Kootenay District
      310 Ward Street, 4th floor
      Nelson, BC V1L 5S4
      Telephone: +1-250-354-6400
      Fax: +1-250-354-6547

      • Thanks for getting back. This is the repsonse I got from the local area office.

        First off, thank you for reaching out with your concerns, safety of our highways is a high priority, so I appreciate hearing when there are concerns

        The issue you raise regarding parking of vehicles in the ROW is not an issue specific to Riondel, most communities in the rural Kootenays and Boundary area experience similar scenarios. Our Ministry manages and maintains thousands of kilometers of highways and hundreds of bridges and structures in the Kootenays. This includes responding to emergency events and incidents related to our infrastructure, and ensuring the highways and structures are adequately and properly maintained. As you can imagine this requires most of the day to day operational resources that we have available. Managing where resident in rural areas park and store their RVs, boats and vehicles is not something that were able to provide resources towards. That being said we do have the ability to remove vehicles from our right of ways that cause a serious safety issue or impedes maintenance activities of our maintenance contractor, however we reserve taking that action for the most serious cases. Our staff have been monitoring the parking and encroachment situation in Riondel and although there are many seasonal vehicles that encroach on the road, we have not seen any instances where we feel the need to get involved and have vehicles removed.

        I know this may not be the answer you were hoping to hear, but hopefully you can understand our approach to managing highway ROWs in rural areas.

        Thanks again for taking the time to write and pass along your concerns.

  4. There is a culvert project between Williams lake and Alexis Creek. Who is the Prime Contractor? There is no signage indicating as such. Also when did that go out to tender? Must of missed it on BCBid
    Thanks

    • Hi Darren – thanks for your comment. We aren’t able to find further details on this project at this time but encourage you to reach out to our staff in the Cariboo District office for more details: (250) 398-4510

  5. This might not come under highway maintenance but, is there a maximum amount of snow that the grader can leave at the end of a private driveway? I live at the 108 Mile Ranch in B.C. The other day we got an obscene amount of snow left in the ends of our driveways. The pile in my driveway was about 2 1/2 feet high and about 4-5 feet across. Not everybody has a machine to remove the snow. Had there been an emergency no one could get in or out of their driveways.

    • Hi Sherry – thanks for connecting with us to share your concerns. There is no specification for berms in front of people’s driveway and it is expected that berms will be created due to regular winter maintenance. Maintenance contractors certainly try their best to reduce the creation of berms through various winter maintenance practices, however they are not contractually required to eliminate them all together. We encourage you to reach out to the contractor asking for extra care to allow for emergency access, if it continues to be an issue. We hope this is helpful.

  6. thanks for all your guys work. I travel extensively in bc and the Yukon for work and I always plan all my drives with drive bc, weather reports, cameras, 511, etc.

    I love to drive, love to drive in inclement weather, it’s my time to relax. I never said I was normal.

    thanks again for all the maintenance. cheers,

  7. Would it not be possible to occasionally install signs identifying the maintenance contractor contact information for an area, but particularly at change points? When travelling and a hazardous situation is encountered is hardly the time to be struggling to find out who to call. (My travels are mainly south of Nanaimo on Hwy 1 and there are very obvious maintenance differences as you travel, but there shouldn’t be.)

  8. Hi there,

    How do we get the Class changed for our Road. According to your explanation of Classes, we should fall into Class D, however only the bottom of our road is and the hill we all live on is an F, which according to your definition makes no sense. We’ve gone up the chain of command and get various different answers and absolutely no reasonable solution. This is our third winter in our home dealing with this issue. There are five dwellings on this road and a sixth one that has access to it as well. We live on a hill that when not maintained, has caused some of us to have to park at the bottom and walk up. Since living here, emergency services have had to come up here, thankfully not in the winter. I dread to think of a scenario where they are needed and aren’t able to get up the road to assist because no one seems to care about upgrading our road. It seems silly that the bottom of our road is a class D but the hill where we all live is an F. We would sure appreciate some help on proceeding to get this changed.

    • Hi Melisa – thanks for reaching out to us here. Just to clarify – you have worked with our staff in your area and they have stated that they are unable to change the classification?

  9. I am wondering how to put a claim in for damages to my tires and rear window the story below tells you of what happened
    The cost so far is deductible from IcBc for the window $300.00
    and will know tomorrow on costs for tires etc.
    I am a senior living on Guaranteed income supplement
    Thank you and please email me
    Ray Payette

    Not being a superstitious peron I have to Ask
    Friday the 13th Lucky or Unlucky?
    Let me tell you a story.
    Jan13th (Friday) I was driving up to Kamloops for my Sister Marie’s
    Celebration of life.
    1) Just 35km from Merrit after driving through and around so many potholes and pooling water, I had a blowout on my right rearr tire. I had to drive a bit to find a min amount of shoulder to even pull over.
    2) While waiting for the tow truck Zora and I were sitting in the car when I heard a splack like a truckthrowing a stone at the windshield while speeding by. Checked the windshieldand it was ok. But then lookedatthe back window and it was THOROUGHLY
    smashed.
    3) When getting out of the tow truck in Merrit I pulled a muscle in my back.

  10. Hello i live on Lone star road in Greenwood Bc. Not far from the Phoenix ski hill i would like to know why Yrb are plowing the Phoenix road to the ski hill but won t come down regularly on the Lone star road. I been told Lone star road is a D class road. We are 3 houses here that are forgotten this winter. I missed many days of work because road is often plowed 3 days after the snow fall We are 4 km on lone star road from the Phoenix road connection. Many time this yr and especially during the holidays they plowed the Phoenix road without coming on Lone star road At some point it becomes a big security hazard. Just this week they plowed road to ski hill every day but never on Lone star road since last Tuesday

  11. Hello! Our area is North Okanagan, Vernon (specifically Antoine Road). it must be Class D but unsure! I tried calling & requesting online on salting our icy road but never got response.
    Any help?

  12. How does a neighbourhood go about getting their road classification updated to be more reflective of current reality and usage? Two neighbourhoods on Quadra Island (off of Leishmans Road and Upshur Road) have a total of approximately 30 full time residences but are both listed as Level F – No winter maintenance. This classification may have made sense 25 years ago but not as development has continued in these areas.

    Thanks for your help.

  13. Hi- My question is in regards to Liddicoat Road in RDOS off Route 3A. We were told by someone at AIM, that the road is classified as F-No maintenance. According to the map, it is classified “D” Other Regular. The road in fact is plowed but only from Route 3A up to but not including the area of the road that has space for parking. This parking space is before the road ascends to the radio tower area. My question is why is only part of the road plowed and maintained even though it is classified as “D”? More specifically, why at a minimum is the parking area not plowed since it is fully paved? For the past four years, we saw that the parking area was plowed since we park at the area. Now for reasons unknown, the parking area and the rest of the road to the towers is not maintained. The parking area gets somewhat dangerous if it is not plowed. It gets icy from tire tracks from unplowed snow and it has an incline which creates a hazard when trying to turn out of the parking area.

    Thank you for information regarding this problem.

    • Hello Frank,

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your concern with us here. We shared your concern with our staff in the area and they have advised us that the local contact for AIM Roads will be reaching out to you directly to discuss this further. Hope this is helpful. Safe travels.

      • Hello:

        Although the local contact for AIM Roads promised to plow and sand/salt the parking area of Liddicoat Road, no plowing and salting/sanding occurred from the last snow storm. In fact, on November 29, 2022, the plow treated (plowed and sanded) Liddicoat Road up from 3A to its intersection with Pincushion Trail Road and also Pincushion Trail Road, which has no roadway classification on iMAP. The snowplow operator did not plow and treat the parking area of Liddicoat Road. Furthermore, the snowplow operator did not plow and treat Liddicoat Road up to and beyond the radio towers, which iMAP designates as a Class “D” road. The Liddicoat Road up from its intersection with Pincushion Trail Road is icy and heavily snowed-in, making it impossible to drive.

        • Hi there Adrienne,

          We just shared your comment with our staff in the area and they let us know that the local foreman will be contacting you directly again to chat about this issue. Hope this is helpful. Safe travels.

  14. These instructions don’t seem to work… i completed all the steps up to “9. To the right of this check mark is a small bullet list icon. Click/select this icon and the legend of Winter Classification letters, corresponding colours and details should appear underneath the layer title.” the small bullet list icon doesn’t exist, it’s an arrow that takes you different options “zoom, turn on/off visualizations, remove layer” the map doesn’t show any corresponding colours or details.

  15. There’s been numerous times in the West Kootenays (highway 6 and 3) when according to the weather forecast it’s pretty obvious black ice will form overnight. Although contractors are supposed to monitor the weather and anticipate such events there are definitely times when there’s been no salt applied to prevent ice. Why is this?

  16. When a District office fails to address concerns brought forward by stakeholders about a contractor, what is the next step in resolution? For an example, a contractor verifiably doesn’t meet the basic requirements of their contract with respect to the Maintenance Specifications and the District chooses to look the other way. Should people contact the ADM, maintenance branch or the Minister directly.
    Thanks

  17. Live in spuzzum on front street. Our local contractor is saying our road is classified as a class f and that they don’t have to plow it. But on your map it shows as a D.

    • Hello Jessica – thanks for connecting with us here to share your concern. Please reach out to staff in our local area office for follow up. Here’s the contact info: Chilliwack Area
      45890 Victoria Avenue
      Chilliwack, BC V2P 2T1
      604-795-8211

  18. Is there a process for changing a road classification? I apparently live on a Class D road on Vancouver Island but it is a steep hill that goes right onto a highway that is usually well cleared. But when our road is such a low priority, there is no way to stop at the bottom of the hill. Cars on the main road are usually travelling at a clip of at least 60 kms an hour as it is in fairly decent condition, so why wouldn’t they be travelling to the road conditions? It quite literally is a prescription for a disaster. This neighbourhood is predominantly seniors and when they can’t get to doctor appointments, grocery deliveries or get to a grocery store or a pharmacy, it’s a definite hardship. If our winters are going to continue the way they have been over the last few years, this needs to be addressed. Leaving Wellington Road in Royston as a Class D is not good enough

  19. Live on a class D road – have to continually contact the local contractor because they plow most of the road as 2 lane, but only 1 lane where it enters a class B road creating a safety hazard! Plow truck is in a rush and does not plow the entrance properly – this has been going on for a couple of years now!

    • Hi Arlene – thanks for your comment. The map interface is somewhat complicated unfortunately and we wanted to be sure that folks were able to get the information they were looking for without any trouble. Hope this information is helpful. Safe travels.

  20. I am at 5323 Heywood Armstrong Road outside of Armstrong BC . I am in the historic Railway Belt . When the Dominion and Provincial government decided on what was to be done with jurisdiction of roads when concluding land ownership within the Railway Belt , they concluded the jurisdiction problem with the Scott Cathcart agreement of 1938 . In that Agreement , all current trails, streets, roads, highways became under Provincial control . Has anyone in the Ministry of Transportation aware of this fact ? I am directly effected by MoTI staff in complete ignorance of this Agreement . Once again , are you aware of the Agreement ?

  21. Hello,
    Tranbc seems to have a fairly well scripted response to stakeholders concerns with respect to road conditions, regardless of where in the province they are and whom the contractor is. This narrative assures us the MOTI is monitoring, auditing and holding the contractors to the standards set out in the maintenance agreement. The public is encouraged to contact the contractor directly with the concerns as they have to respond and document the communication. It is obvious the MOTI does not want a contractor to fail, be in default and have to re tender the contract, as it is cost prohibitive and would be indicative of the root cause of this systemic problem. There simply is not enough money in these contracts to meet the standards with the profit model in place. The less the contractor does, the less trucks, sand salt etc , the more they keep! That’s how it works. It is mathematically impossible to meet the standards. The MOTI knows this yet still awards the to the lowest bidder. Yes, the service proposal has weight, but the money is the deal maker!
    There are zero financial consequences for the contractor not meeting the standards. Sure they may not get the up to 2% bonus with their CAP rating but the savings by not being held accountable for not meeting the routine maintenance specifications far outweigh any bonus. It’s unfortunate we are only a couple years into 10-15 year contracts. There are 2-3 contractors in the province that are failing miserably. One new and the others are incumbents trying to reinvent themselves under a different name. The MOTI needs to send a clear message that they represent the taxpayer and will not tolerate this negligence any longer. I’m certain if one contractor is forced into default and put into a management contract situation the others would shape up or step aside for ones that can. Something has to give here.
    Where is the accountability?
    Where are the results of this auditing and monitoring you speak of per serving area?
    Where is the list of NCR/OFIs for each contractor per service area?
    What are CAP ratings of each contractor?
    Why does the MOTI consider the service proposal aspect of the tender process subject to a FOI blackout citing competition clauses? How does the public know the contractor is doing what they proposed to do in the RFQ process?
    Thanks

  22. YRB really is an EM”CON” in disguise. The first winter they took over, doing Hwy 22 Castlegar to Fruitvale I couldn’t believe the number of trucks cleaning and sanding the roads, commuting was finally safe again. Now, no sand, no plowing and where did all the plow/sand trucks go? I suppose they underbid so low that now their profit margin fell and ya’ just can’t do it for nothing, so do nothing and the profit soars.
    This problem is only going to get worst and people will die because of the lower bidder’s absence of ability and lack of conscience.

  23. I feel terrible about the latest tragic accident on the Coquihalla. After reading many comments regarding the likely factors causing this accident, I am wondering why anyone would want to use this β€˜treacherous highway’ in the winter?
    No matter how defensively one drives, the risk of being in a catastrophic accident due to:
    a) poorly maintained roads (no salt on icy roads? inaccurate report of current conditions?)
    b) inappropriate speed limit
    c) no measures to slow traffic in particularly treacherous passages
    d) no chains on trucks; no winter tires on
    some cars.
    e) no warning system for β€˜trouble ahead’ i.
    foggy or whiteout conditions.
    Yes, some – maybe most- drivers can avoid driving β€˜treacherous roads’ in winter, but truck, police, ambulance and bus drivers were part of that collision. I doubt that any of those drivers had a choice that day. My guess is that most of them had driven that road before…..and were driving defensively.
    Why have roads if they are too β€˜treacherous’ – even for professionals ?

    • Hello Deb and thank you for your comment. Our thoughts are with family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident. Highway maintenance is one of the most important services we provide, and safety is our absolute top priority. Ministry staff are reviewing the incident with the maintenance contractor to see if anything else could have been done, within the contracted service levels, to prevent this incident. We also continue to work with the commercial transport industry to identify areas requiring improvement as well. We hope that this information is helpful. Thanks again for connecting with us here.

  24. In Stewart BC we are having serious issues with the contractor which will end up with death(s) if no one will hold them responsible for their incompetence. No sand no salt and never is the blade of the plow put down properly which has created a washboard for 40 KLMs! They also leave sections by Meziadan junction 37 and sections on 37A, so narrow that it is single lane width and Commercial Transport trucks and logging trucks fighting for room. Its absolutely insane! Last Sunday my mirror was cm’s away from the truck coming the opposite direction. I am hoping that someone c an look up all the vehicles that have left the roads on hwy 37 I know of four semi trucks and three family vehicles one family of three ended up hospitalized and one child in surgery that is my student. I spoke to the mother who was driving as to how it happened and she said deep slush not plowed black ice and she said there was no sand and the vehicle was sucked off the road like someone had taken over control! One truck driver said the same about how his semi left the road. There were ruts so deep on last Sundays drive back from Terrace that they were taking over my steering and I have an all wheel drive Nissan that has never reacted this way and I have been driving Northern BC roads for years. I’m going to publish a complaint in the news paper so that if nothing is done and someone dies there will be recourse for the families in the way of a lawsuit. Please send an inspector down here to drive Hwy 37 and 37A . RCMP will have records of all of the vehicles that have left that hwy because of the road conditions. It is irresponsible to hire contractors who get away with doing as little as possible to the roads perhaps not putting the blade down all the way and not using adequate amounts of sand or no sand/salt to save them money but not our lives. Rumour also about this contractor is that their equipment is substandard breaking down every time they go out. Where are the BC road safety inspectors???? Government cut costs by hiring contractors for road maintenance? The government is responsible to over see that their contractors do what is required for our safety.

    • Hello Rhonda and thank you for connecting with us here to share your concern.

      We are concerned whenever safety issues arise with our contractors, and our district staff have discussed this issue with Dawson Road Maintenance.

      Ministry staff regularly audit and monitor performance of all road maintenance contractors, and communicate with them on a daily basis, to ensure that the contract standards are met. This intensive monitoring occurs at all hours both during storm cycles and between significant weather events. Contractors are required to keep records to demonstrate compliance with the maintenance specifications and to have a quality control and a quality assurance program to demonstrate compliance. If monitoring shows deficiencies in performance or response, ministry staff work with the contractor to ensure they quickly improve and deliver quality maintenance and safe highway conditions.

      If you have any other concerns or would like to follow up directly with staff in the local area office, you can connect at:

      Bulkley-Stikine District
      Bag 5000, 3726 Alfred Avenue
      Smithers, BC V0J 2N0
      250 847-7403

      We hope that this information is helpful.

  25. Hello , I’m curious as to why are highways get little to no sand , salt or even properly plowed during/after snow storms ?

    The lack of maintenance the past couple years is absolutely ridiculous , this year especially , you would think are highways are getting hammered with snow every night by the way they look.

    I drove hwy 5 from Kamloops to Edmonton last night and the roads were absolutely ridiculous for ice and rough , a plowed field would have been better driving. Then once you got to the B.C/ Alberta boarder the roads were great.

    I see the plow trucks out more days after than I do durning the storms or the next day.

    So the same mountain pass that got hit with the same storm has entirely two different driving conditions ?

    What’s it going to take to have a proper maintained roads ? Is it going to take a family losing their life or multiple families and individuals losing their lives ? ???

    Just scraping the top and only putting sand in the middle of the road doesn’t work , putting little to nothing on the uphills and downhills and doesn’t work.

    • Hi there Matthew, thanks for connecting with us here. We hate to hear your frustration. We will share your concerns forward with our staff but also encourage you to share any concerns you might notice on BC highways directly with the local maintenance contractor responsible as well. Our contractors are required to keep records of public concerns and this helps us during our auditing process to ensure the contractor is responsive to any problems brought to their attention. You can find the contractor through the Report a Highway Problem on DriveBC: https://www.drivebc.ca/rahp/identifyRegion.html

      Or you can choose the contractor and connect with them directly from this list: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/contracting-to-transportation/highway-bridge-maintenance/highway-maintenance/contacts

      We hope that this is helpful. We too drive on BC highways and keeping the travelling public safe is absolutely our top priority – we appreciate you taking the time to share yours with us here. (P.S. Our wordpress system holds messages for review, which is why this message and your second message didn’t appear when you submitted them. You should have received a message letting you know that your message was received and pending moderator review. If you didn’t – we apologize and hope that this helps clarify). Safe travels.

  26. I live outside the city limits of Nelson, B.C.. At the corner of a highway and a busy residential road is a business that during snowfalls, they snowblow the snow from their parking lot onto the road, where the stop sign area becomes piled up with snow plus the business end up covering up the sand that YR&B has laid so motorists do not slide onto the busy highway. The squeal of brakes is common even when the road is dry. The RCMP state there is nothing in the BC Motor Vehicle Act that is enforceable. Is snowblowing onto the road / highway intersection legal? If not, then residents can legally push snow out onto the road, right?

    • Hello Susan,

      Thanks for your question. In a nutshell, no, pushing or putting snow onto the highway is not allowed. Here’s a blog that explains more: https://www.tranbc.ca/2020/02/27/4-reasons-why-piling-your-private-snow-on-roads-is-a-no/

      We encourage you to follow up with our maintenance contractor in your area with your concerns about the sand issue. Here’s their contact information:

      Service Area 10 – Central Kootenay (Nelson – Creston)

      Yellowhead Road & Bridge (Kootenay) Ltd
      1 888 352-0356

      Website: yrb.ca/yrb-group/kootenay
      Twitter: @YRBKT
      Facebook: @YRBKootenay10
      Instagram: @yrbkootenay
      YouTube: N/A
      Email: N/A

      Ministry contact:
      West Kootenay District Office – 250 354-6400

      We hope that this was helpful!

  27. The gravel road up to the Hemlock Valley and Sasquatch Mountain Resort is in need of being properly maintained. The state of the section of gravel road is practically undriveable due to the number of daily increasing pot holes on the road. Who do I contact about this?

    • Good morning, Jennifer

      Thanks for your question. Please contact the local maintenance contractor for this area, Emil Anderson. Here’s their contact info:

      Service Area 7 – Fraser Valley (Chilliwack)

      Emil Anderson Maintenance Co Ltd
      1 800 667-5122

      Website: eac.bc.ca/eam
      Twitter: @EAMOperations
      Facebook: @eac.bc.ca
      Instagram: @eac.bc.ca
      YouTube: Emil Anderson Construction (EAC) Inc
      Email: info@eac.bc.ca

      Ministry contact:
      Lower Mainland District Office – 604 527-2221

  28. Is there a time frame for clearing class A highways? How long should major highways be left with a thick crust of ice? Is the thick ice that is often encountered actually the residue of inadequate plowing (i.e. blade above the pavement)?

  29. Highway 1 might be a class A route but the 1960s two lane sections have an E grade of service (i.e. demand is approaching capacity, passing is virtually impossible, platooning becomes intense and speeds are seriously curtailed). I guess that is why the Kamloops to Alberta ‘program’ is on schedule for completion some time in the 2060s (if it is ever completed).

  30. I live in the Hazeltons on Chappel Rd, a class D road with four houses that is 250 meters long and has a small hill in the middle, branching off North Boundary Rd, another class D road with three houses that is maybe 300 meters long and has a small hill at the end. My driveway starts about 450 meters altogether from Highway 16.

    The old, local roads contractor – Billabong – would get Chappel and Boundary plowed between 24 and 48 hours after a snowfall. Last year our region was switched to a new, corporate contractor from the interior – Dawson – and at first they would get Chappel and Boundary plowed within 72 to 96 hours; that is to say, they took twice as long to do the work in any given situation. Toward the end of last snow season, though, they stopped plowing Chappel at all. Twice last year and now again with a fall of 30 centimeters or so this year, over 48 hours ago now, they have plowed part way along Boundary but do not plow its hill, or enter at all into Chappel. Once they actually left a berm of snow plowed off Boundary across the entry to Chappel. Last year when I contacted them through their website they eventually sent someone back to do Chappel. This year they have not responded. In other words, it seems those of us on Chappel have been abandoned completely (above and beyond the question of whether – when they still plowed at all – the company was getting as much pay as the former contractor to do the same work in double the time).

    Where can I bring a complaint about things like other than to the contractor itself, which I would no longer want to do now that this has happened three times, even if it still worked? Also, out of curiousity, WAS the payment for snow clearing in our region cut in half from what it was two years ago, or is there some other cause of the slowdown – which is not just on my road but also the highways, rail crossings and so on.

    • I have found the Ministry contact in Smithers and submitted my complaint through them, so unless there is some other resource I might also connect with, no response is needed here. Thank you however for your time taken.

    • Hello Scott and thank you for reaching out to us here and sharing your concerns. We shared your comments with our local area staff who advised that during a heavy snowfall event, such as the recent one you mentioned, our contractor triages their maintenance response, with a priority on clearing A, B and C classification roads. You mentioned in your subsequent comment that you had shared your concerns with the local area office as well. We encourage you to also continue to reach out to the maintenance contractor directly with any concerns you have. They are required to keep a log of all incoming concerns should an review be required. We hope that this information is helpful. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let us (or our staff in the local area office) know.

  31. Hello, What classification is highway 37 and others going from Skagway to Bellingham? We want to ensure it is plowed in early Nov. Snow tires OK or should we take stud tires?

    • Hi Frederick. Highway 37’s maintenance classification is 3B from Kitwanga to Meziadin Junction, and 4B from Meziadin Junction to the Yukon border. Winter tires are required from October 1 to April 30. This is a good resource for you:
      https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/traveller-information/seasonal/winter-driving

      We don’t know what travel restrictions will be in place come November, but be aware that US travellers currently transiting through BC to Alaska must only do so for essential purposes and follow guidelines.

      You must enter BC at one of the following ports of entry:

      Abbotsford-Huntingdon
      Kingsgate
      Osoyoos

      Transiting Conditions
      If people are misleading officials at the border and not proceeding directly to their final destination, there are penalties and fines relating to the federal Quarantine Act.

      At the port of entry, the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) will issue you a vehicle β€œhang tag.” This must be attached to your rear view mirror for the duration of transit. The CBSA will impose a reasonable period of stay to carry out your transit. The hang tag will note the date you must depart Canada.

      Remember, you should only make necessary stops for gas (pay at the pump), food (drive-through if possible) or overnight rest.

      You must practise social distancing and wear a mask or face covering when entering BC and while in transit, unless you are alone (or with family members) in a private vehicle.

      Follow all COVID-19 safety precautions and do not travel through BC if you are ill or have COVID-19 symptoms.

  32. Hello Tranbceditor! I live on Gambier Island, on Hope Point Road. I followed the IMapBC instructions and added as many layers as I could, to make sure I wasn’t missing any. Most of the roads here (except for one small piece) do not show up with any classification, ownership or governance. I was told that all the roads here are classified as 8f but was given no documentation to support this. The iMapBC info does not show our road (or most of the roads here) as 8f. Is there another way I can definitively determine ownership, governance and classifciation of our roads?

    • Hi Val,

      Beaver Lake Road has a Maintenance Classification of 4C from Lake Country Municipal Boundary to Dee Lake Road. From Dee Lake Road to Beaver Lake Lodge, its classified as 6D.

      Dee Lake Road is classified as 6D from Beaver Lake Road to Dee Lake Lodge.

    • Good morning Jorgen!

      The summer classification for Pinchi Lake Road is a 6 and the summer classification for Germansen Landing Road is a 5. Hope that this is helpful!

  33. This leaves people who live along rural roads in potentially hazardous situations. If people live along a route I assume the road is C and 48 hours to clear the road is MUCH TOO LONG. All roads should be cleared within 24 hours of a snowfall.

  34. The crew that takes care of Highway 97 from McKenzie junction to Honeymoon creek is lacking the understanding of what a Class “A” highway is. Please forward there management the agreement of what they have been contracted to do. A lot of corners on the highway are not plowed completely and forces oncoming traffic across the yellow line. Unacceptable!

    • Hello Ryan,

      Thanks for connecting with us here to share your concerns.
      We shared your comment with our staff in the area for review and they let us know that they monitor the highway on a consistent basis and work closely with the maintenance contractor to address issues as they are identified.

  35. Have you heard of Vancouver Island? Quite a few folk out here could do with a plow! Highway 19 A I’m fairly sure would-be an A or B category. .. doesn’t look very plowed to me! Comox / Campbell River area.

    • Hi Anonymous –

      Thank you for your message. We too live on Vancouver Island and have shared your concern with our local area manager.
      As you know, due to recent significant snow events our crews are busy out there trying to clear it all. We appreciate your patience and thank you again for letting us know your concerns.

  36. Hi am responding to Ann’s comment and your response. So according to these documents, highway #1 is a class A. It is the highest priority.
    How can you possibly believe this? The road conditions have been appalling for the last 2 days!! We all knew the snow was coming. The #1 didn’t looked plowed at all this morning!
    Honestly we pay Mainland millions of dollars for this contract. Why when we really need them are they nowhere to be seen!?
    The #1 should be salted and plowed. Just keep going back and forth all day!! Then you wouldn’t have to take a video from an overpass to prove your “convoy” of trucks were there, wed be able to tell by the road conditions!
    Honestly, Mainland should be fired. Absolutely failed everyone who drives the #1 Hwy.
    Time for the province to get quotes from other contractors for this job!

    • Hi Megan – thanks for your message. We completely understand your concern and have shared it directly with our staff responsible for overseeing our maintenance contractors performance.

  37. I am wondering who is maintaining or cleaning the snow in highway 1? We passed 5am and again at 5pm but the road still the same. We are expecting that the road is already cleaned up by this time but still not…so sad..

    • Hi Ann,

      Thanks for your message – we understand your concern. Since Thursday night, the ministry’s maintenance contractors in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have been out in full force, day and night, plowing roads and applying salt, brine and winter abrasives as required. During periods of cold temperatures, the straight application of salt may not be effective, and sometimes maintenance contractors need to apply salt mixed with sand to improve traction to areas where snow may have compacted.

      In the Fraser Valley, the high outflow winds combined with cold and dry temperatures (- 12 this morning) are making it challenging to keep material on the road and deal with the snow that has compacted onto the road. The ministry’s maintenance contractor for this service area had their entire fleet out working this morning, and will continue to do so throughout the day as well as overnight. West of Chilliwack, areas requiring further attention by the maintenance contractor persisted into this morning. Because the colder temperatures limited the effectiveness of applying salt, crews transitioned to applying sand in combination with using serrated blades to rake the compacted snow to improve traction. The contractor has also been using deicing chemicals better suited for the colder temperatures in addition to an increased use of abrasives and the serrated blades. Our maintenance contractor in the Fraser Valley alone has used 600t of salt, 200m3 of brine and approximately 6,000m3 of sand – enough to fill more than two Olympic size swimming pools. The use of abrasives and calcium in the last 48 hours has also already surpassed what was used since winter conditions arrived in the Lower Mainland in these past few weeks. They deploy a fleet of 40 plow trucks and 5 graders to meet the conditions.

      We advise travellers to expect winter conditions for the rest of the week, and encourage everyone to plan ahead and drive according to the weather and road conditions, slowing down when there’s bad weather or limited visibility.

    • Mainroad Contracting dropped the ball on Hwy one Jan.13, the highway east & west of the Port Mann including the bridge was an absolute disaster, I spent over 2 hours to get from 200 street to the west side of the bridge, I saw not a single plow/salt/sanding truck in either direction during this time, 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

  38. Hi. What is the protocol for applying a classification letter to a road? Where does one find the criteria determined to do so – and how do we go about getting the class changed. We used to get quite good service from the local contractor Argo in the winter. Now with the new contractor AIM Roads, we have to call every single time there is snow to request service. I had been advised by one of the Argo employees that the roads in our area were being re-classified and so they would be able to give us better service than before. Unfortunately this is not the case after all. So disappointing.

  39. We live in a subdivision of 30 homes at the end of a class D road. This is the only road in and out of our subdivisiion for residents and emergency services. The road we live off of is Aaron Road in Castlegar BC and it is very steep (10% in spots) but not very long maybe 1 km. There are days that residents can’t get home do the depth of the snow or how slippery the hill is due to it’s steepness. I worry that an ambulance may not be able to make it up the hill one day when it’s needed. Is it possible to get a road designation upgraded due to circumstances such as these? Columbia Road that we turn off of to get on to Aaron Road is a class C, is it possible to apply to have our road redesignated as class c due to this situation? Who would we talk to or how would we apply?

    Best Regards

    • Hi Andy – thanks for your comment. Please connect directly with our staff at the local area office in Nelson.

      310 Ward Street, 4th floor
      Nelson, BC V1L 5S4
      Telephone: 250 354-6400
      Fax: 250 354-6547

  40. Good morning! I’m about to contact the local contractor for road maintenance, but came across this site while searching for contact information… my question is:
    Is the contractor responsible for plowing to the end of the public road right of way? The plow tends to stop short of the end of the r/w and before my driveway. I assume this is because it is easier for them, but it makes it harder for me… Just wondering what the standard/protocol might be in this case. The road I live on is a “Class D” winter maintenance road, so we are most definitely not regularly visited (understandably).

    • Hi there Marie,

      If you know who your local maintenance contractor is, we suggest contacting them directly. If you would like us to look into something further, let us know where you are located.

      Thanks!

  41. This post has been shared a lot recently on social media in the Okanagan. While it provides good information on road maintenance classification, the completion of snow removal is no longer in the current contracts. Will this post be updated to reflect the new specifications?

  42. First I would like to say your company and team is doing an outstanding job! Bravo. Tell me where McCulloch Rd falls in the classifications please. Is it still A because of being an egress to Kelowna SE and back up to Hwy33

    • Hi there George! Thanks for your question. We can’t find McCullock Road on our map – only Hydraulic Lake Road. Is this the same? You can search winter classification using the iMapBC app. We’ve listed instructions below. Hope that this is helpful.

      Here’s how you can search up the winter classification of our routes:

      1. Navigate to iMapBC at https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/imap4m/
      2. Select the β€œData Sources” tab
      3. Choose β€œAdd Provincial Layers” button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you to add or remove information. Scroll down to and select β€œTransportation”
      4. Scroll to β€œMinistry of Transportation – Linear Inventory” and choose/select
      5. Scroll to β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” and choose/select
      6. Click Okay to close pop up screen.
      7. Underneath the Data Sources tab, you will see a β€œMy Layers” button. Select this tab.
      8. β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” should appear with a check mark in the box beside it.
      9. To the right of this check mark is a small bullet list icon. Click/select this icon and the legend of Winter Classification letters, corresponding colours and details should appear underneath the layer title.
      10. Zoom into the area you are looking for on the map to the right to view the colour for your desired roadway
      11. Hint: you might have to scroll down to a very high level in order to see corresponding colour.
      If you do not see a colour revealed on a roadway, that road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and you should follow up with the municipality for more information.

      Here’s a list of what each letter on the legend represents:

      A. β€œWADC>5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count greater than 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition A – high volume traffic (over 5,000 winter average daily traffic count) or commuter routes and certain expressways and freeways through mountain passes. For the purposes of Classification, a freeway is a multi-lane highway with fully controlled access. Class A are heavy commuter traffic routes extended to include the bulk of vehicles commuting daily to a center and cut-off where traffic drops below a 2,500 winter average daily traffic count. These include, but are not limited to, high volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      B. β€œWADC 1,000 to 5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count between 1,000 to 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition B – trunk and main routes (or portion thereof as designated by the Province) not included in Class A, with a cut-off traffic volume of 1,000 winter average daily traffic count. These include but are not limited to lower volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      C. β€œSBR and TTR” = School Bus Route and Industrial (Truck) Traffic
      Highway Classification Class Definition C – school bus routes and industrial (truck) traffic routes (more than 25% trucks) not included in Class A and B;

      D. β€œOther regular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition D – other regularly maintained winter routes;

      E. β€œOther irregular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition E – other irregularly maintained winter routes;

      F. β€œNo Winter Maintenance”
      Highway Classification Class Definition F – roads not maintained or not open in the winter, or not maintained by the Contractor.

    • Hi there Tammy – a Class A highway is not allowed to have more than 4 cm of snow in the travelling lane and notwithstanding that clause, our contractors are required remove winter accumulations from travelled lanes every 90 minutes. Make sense?

  43. Hi there,

    I live in China valley and the new contractor is doing a terrible job. When they graded our road in the summer they didn’t go as deep as the potholes so it lasted about a day before it was bad again. Now we had 9 inches of snow and the roads were left for days, this includes right in Falkland. The service has really dropped off and there is no way they are upholding their contract. How do I get more information about what to expect for my road maintenance. We live on a school bus route

    • Hi Scott,

      We encourage you to find the winter classification of the road you live on by visiting iMapBC at https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/imap4m/

      1. Select the β€œData Sources” tab
      2. Choose β€œAdd Provincial Layers” button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you to add or remove information. Scroll down to and select β€œTransportation”
      3. Scroll to β€œMinistry of Transportation – Linear Inventory” and choose/select
      4. Scroll to β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” and choose/select
      5. Click Okay to close pop up screen.
      6. Underneath the Data Sources tab, you will see a β€œMy Layers” button. Select this tab.
      7. β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” should appear with a check mark in the box beside it.
      8. To the right of this check mark is a small bullet list icon. Click/select this icon and the legend of Winter Classification letters, corresponding colours and details should appear underneath the layer title.
      9. Zoom into the area you are looking for on the map to the right to view the colour for your desired roadway
      10. Hint: you might have to scroll down to a very high level in order to see corresponding colour.
      If you do not see a colour revealed on a roadway, that road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and you should follow up with the municipality for more information.

      Here’s a list of what each letter on the legend represents:

      A. β€œWADC>5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count greater than 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition A – high volume traffic (over 5,000 winter average daily traffic count) or commuter routes and certain expressways and freeways through mountain passes. For the purposes of Classification, a freeway is a multi-lane highway with fully controlled access. Class A are heavy commuter traffic routes extended to include the bulk of vehicles commuting daily to a center and cut-off where traffic drops below a 2,500 winter average daily traffic count. These include, but are not limited to, high volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      B. β€œWADC 1,000 to 5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count between 1,000 to 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition B – trunk and main routes (or portion thereof as designated by the Province) not included in Class A, with a cut-off traffic volume of 1,000 winter average daily traffic count. These include but are not limited to lower volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      C. β€œSBR and TTR” = School Bus Route and Industrial (Truck) Traffic
      Highway Classification Class Definition C – school bus routes and industrial (truck) traffic routes (more than 25% trucks) not included in Class A and B;

      D. β€œOther regular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition D – other regularly maintained winter routes;

      E. β€œOther irregular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition E – other irregularly maintained winter routes;

      F. β€œNo Winter Maintenance”
      Highway Classification Class Definition F – roads not maintained or not open in the winter, or not maintained by the Contractor.

  44. Can you please tell me the classification for Westside rdVernon BC.
    Can you tell me why the previous road maintenance crew many years ago (Watson’s) were required to have roads cleared before school buses came down the road, so before 7 am but now we are lucky if you see a snow plough or grader before noon. What good is that for the parents driving kids to bus stops, school buses or tax paying citizens trying to get to work. Please help me to understand, I am sure you do not want to hear people constantly putting in complaints or waiting for accidents to happen before the roads are dealt with.

    • Hi Tom! Highway 6 at Lumby is a Class A highway.

      Here’s how you can search up the winter classification of our routes:

      1. Navigate to iMapBC at https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/imap4m/
      2. Select the β€œData Sources” tab
      3. Choose β€œAdd Provincial Layers” button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you to add or remove information. Scroll down to and select β€œTransportation”
      4. Scroll to β€œMinistry of Transportation – Linear Inventory” and choose/select
      5. Scroll to β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” and choose/select
      6. Click Okay to close pop up screen.
      7. Underneath the Data Sources tab, you will see a β€œMy Layers” button. Select this tab.
      8. β€œRoad Maintenance Class Winter – MoT” should appear with a check mark in the box beside it.
      9. To the right of this check mark is a small bullet list icon. Click/select this icon and the legend of Winter Classification letters, corresponding colours and details should appear underneath the layer title.
      10. Zoom into the area you are looking for on the map to the right to view the colour for your desired roadway
      11. Hint: you might have to scroll down to a very high level in order to see corresponding colour.
      If you do not see a colour revealed on a roadway, that road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and you should follow up with the municipality for more information.

      Here’s a list of what each letter on the legend represents:

      A. β€œWADC>5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count greater than 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition A – high volume traffic (over 5,000 winter average daily traffic count) or commuter routes and certain expressways and freeways through mountain passes. For the purposes of Classification, a freeway is a multi-lane highway with fully controlled access. Class A are heavy commuter traffic routes extended to include the bulk of vehicles commuting daily to a center and cut-off where traffic drops below a 2,500 winter average daily traffic count. These include, but are not limited to, high volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      B. β€œWADC 1,000 to 5,000” = Weekly Average Daily Traffic Count between 1,000 to 5,000
      Highway Classification Class Definition B – trunk and main routes (or portion thereof as designated by the Province) not included in Class A, with a cut-off traffic volume of 1,000 winter average daily traffic count. These include but are not limited to lower volume ski hill and commuter routes;

      C. β€œSBR and TTR” = School Bus Route and Industrial (Truck) Traffic
      Highway Classification Class Definition C – school bus routes and industrial (truck) traffic routes (more than 25% trucks) not included in Class A and B;

      D. β€œOther regular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition D – other regularly maintained winter routes;

      E. β€œOther irregular”
      Highway Classification Class Definition E – other irregularly maintained winter routes;

      F. β€œNo Winter Maintenance”
      Highway Classification Class Definition F – roads not maintained or not open in the winter, or not maintained by the Contractor.

  45. I am writing to determine what, if any, restrictions are placed on maintenance contractors with regard to performing private maintenance. This past week I witnessed a contractor’s grader servicing a privately owned road following remediation of deep ruts and washed out shoulders on a short section of the public road. This despite the fact that the public portion of the road the publicly maintained gravel road has not been completely graded in a couple months and is in a sad state (potholes, washboard, and areas of water erosion from recent heavy rain). Can you advise me if there are limitations or priorities with regard to what the contractor must address in maintaining public thoroughfares?

        • Hi Stan,

          Depending on road conditions, the road is graded once a year. As for private grading, as they are a private company, they are able to pick up extra work but they are still bound to response times on public road through the highway maintenance agreement. Our local area staff spoke with YRB and they said they have not signed on for any additional private grader work in that area as they generally aren’t very lucrative jobs. We hope that this helps answer your questions – let us know if you need any further information!

    • Good afternoon Jeannette,

      Our local staff in the Smithers office just informed us that Hudson Bay Mountain Rd was changed to a winter maintenance class B in 1983.
      At that time, the road was made up of Dahlie Road, Hudson Bay Mountain Road, and Prairie Road.
      Note: Prairie Road (at class B as well in 1983) was renamed & combined with Hudson Bay Mountain Road in 1998.

      We hope that this is helpful information to you. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to let us know.

  46. Hi,

    I am trying to find definitions for road classifications.

    What exactly is a class 6e and class 8f road? Is there a link you can provide that will take me to a document that will define those terms? Are these roads available for public use?

    Thanks in advance for your assistance

    Regards,

    Mark

    • Hi Mark. Here is our Highway Classification webpage: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/transportation-planning/highway-classification

      Essentially, the number refers to summer and the letter to winter. The 8F means unopened unmaintained, although there are some caveats to that such as danger tree removal on an 8F if there are pathways etc.

      Highway Classification

      Class Definition
      A high volume traffic (over 5,000 winter average daily traffic count) or
      commuter routes and certain expressways and freeways through mountain
      passes. For the purposes of Classification, a freeway is a multi-lane
      highway with fully controlled access. Class A are heavy commuter traffic
      routes extended to include the bulk of vehicles commuting daily to a center
      and cut-off where traffic drops below a 2,500 winter average daily traffic
      count. These include, but are not limited to, high volume ski hill and
      commuter routes;
      B trunk and main routes (or portion thereof as designated by the Province)
      not included in Class A, with a cut-off traffic volume of 1,000 winter
      average daily traffic count. These include but are not limited to lower
      volume ski hill and commuter routes;
      C school bus routes and industrial (truck) traffic routes (more than 25%
      trucks) not included in Class A and B;
      D other regularly maintained winter routes;
      E other irregularly maintained winter routes; and
      F roads not maintained or not open in the winter, or not maintained by the
      Contractor.

      Maintenance only applies to road 1 – 7

      Response by Highway Classification
      1&2 3 4 5 6&7
      60 min 90 min 2 h 3 h 4 h

  47. gillminator@hotmail.com

    My fence is 34 feet from the center of the roadway here in Blue River and has been busted and fallen over 3 years in a row now due to negligent snow clearing practices by LDM (pushing snow buildups against my fence with a grader and loader. They claim there is nowhere to put soooo much snow. Seriously? So that allows you to push snow onto private property and damage residential infrastructure because you dont know where to put or how to move the snow? There is an open acessible field directly across the road. Im tired of this happening every year. Who do i call to get my fence fixed by LDM or their insurers?

  48. we as taxpayers pay for these contracts and if the road classifications do not fit the needs of the school bus route there needs to be a away to change the classification as a ministry we always gave these school bus routes safety priority and as a retired highways worker 35 years i get a little concerned when we see school bus units off the highway these metal container contain our children the future people in this province and the ministry and contractor must rethink these standards and pay more attention to school bus routes as was done prior to privatization and profits were not ahead of pupil safety

  49. Hi…I am looking for more detailed information about BC’s winter hwy classification system. Can you provide me with a link to more specific details, AADT or WADT thresholds, classification of road, etc. Thanks Mike

    • Hello Marie,

      Thank you for connecting with us here. We were able to locate two rules governing the safe operation of snowplows on BC highways specifically:

      1. Section 121 of the BC MVA
      Construction and maintenance vehicles
      121 Despite section 120 (b), the driver of a vehicle referred to in that section must drive with due regard for safety, having regard to all the circumstances, including the nature, condition and use of the highway and the amount of traffic that is, or might reasonably be expected to be, on it.

      2. Schedule 15 of the Highway Maintenance Agreement (Commercial Vehicles Permit)

      I hope that this helps answer your question. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

  50. Hi I’m looking for a document “Maintenance Services Manual: Standards for Road and Bridge Maintenance Services”. Does this still exist or has it been replaced by another name/manual?
    I’m drafting up a tender for Winter Maintenance and want to include the requirements from the manual.

  51. I just wanna say that there is a huge debate going on in the east kootenays. See facebook page taking back east kootenay highways. And they are trying to remove main roads from their contract. Most i would say never grew up in the valley or lived here long. I really found this information helpful but still most people on that page expect bare roads immediately after a storm and do not understand the challenges that are faced on the road. Press releases like this help for sure. But i think some need to be informed on the processes a bit more.
    And can i ask why there are minstry trucks(yellow trucks with yellow flashing lights) on class c or d roads before they are plowed… one almost drove me off the road before Christmas.

    • Hi Sarrah,

      Thanks for connecting with us here. We are aware of the debate around maintenance in the East Kootenay area. We continue to try to share condition information, contract requirements etc. on a regular basis, both on the page itself and through our other channels. Our area managers regularly patrol all classifications of highway on a regular basis to make sure the roads are being maintained properly. Would you like us to connect with the area office to share your incident?

  52. Is there a list of what highways have what classification? I’ve heard several complaints about Highway 5 between Kamloops and Tete Jaune Cache over the years and was wondering what its designation was.

      • Bit of an elaboration as I too have heard of similar complaints, as well as experiencing, directly and indirectly, what seems to be less than the stipulated level of snow plowing. I’ve also sent an e-mail, 2 weeks ago, and, more recently, 2 voice-mail messages to Ian Pilkington, the “Director, Rehabilitation and Maintenance” for the Ministry asking for information on the associated contracts – no responses yet.

        However, I have found this document (1) specifies the criteria for the A-F designations largely in terms of the traffic volume, although it is somewhat vague when it comes to direction. And the Traffic Data Program (2) – quite impressive, I might add – gives some indication that Highway 5 qualifies as classification A.

        —–
        1) “_http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/BCHighways/contracts/maintenance/Schedule_21_Maintenance_Specifications.pdf”;
        2) “_http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/trafficdata/index.html”;

          • tranbceditor:

            My pleasure – nice that the Ministry maintains a blog for dissemminating information and handling complaints. πŸ™‚

            And thank you for jogging Mr. Pilkington’s memory; I expect he has a lot on his plate, and my questions were hardly earth-shatteringly important ones. And he did respond shortly after your comment with some additional information on maintenance contracts that I hadn’t been able to find so that was most appreciated. And I just recently and quite belatedly sent him an e-mail thanking him for that information.

            However, as I had indicated in that e-mail, it seems that while the BCHighways Department has an impressive set of specifications and procedures that the maintenance contractors are obliged to maintain and follow, it seems there is a missing link in that the Highways Department may not be monitoring some or all of those contractors sufficiently often enough or in sufficient detail to ensure compliance. As the comment of “Frank Fugger” above suggests may be the case with the Coquihalla. Although your later response to “Sarrah Keays” suggests that there are “Area Managers” who provide that missing link, that “closing of the feedback loop”.

            However, I’m wondering whether or not the results of that monitoring are available on the BCHighways site, and if they’re not then whether they could be. Apparently a somewhat famous jurist said that “Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.” Which one might reasonably extend to questions of compliance by the contractors hired by the Department to maintain our highways, particularly during the winter.

            So, since it seems you may have the ear of those in the upper echelons of the Department, I’m wondering whether there might be some value in broaching the question of compliance monitoring and, if that system is already in place, of providing public access to the results of it.

            In any case, thank you again for your efforts and information – and my apology for a belated response.

    • Thanks for your question! We do have information available on the Data BC website.

      The website does have information about maintenance class but it is not within a service area, rather it splits the Province into Regional and District boundaries which don’t necessarily coincide with the service area boundaries. I’ve provided some information below on how to access the website, what information (called “layers”) can be viewed and how to download information so you can see if it’s helpful.

      Here are the steps to data on the GeoBC Warehouse – Open Data
      • http://www.data.gov.bc.ca
      • In the Search for Data box, type in MoT (not case sensitive) and click the Search button
      • Click the word SHP on the desired layer to bring up more information regarding the selection
      • Click the word SHP under the Download Files to bring up the Data Distribution Service form
      • Fill in all of the appropriate information Area of Interest, Projection, Format, etc on the form to order the layer
      • Click the Submit Order button

      CHRIS has 2 Boundary layers, 2 Network layers and 16 Inventory layers on Open Data
      • MoT Regional Boundary
      • MoT District Boundary
      • RFI Network
      • LKI Network
      • BSR – Bridge Structure Road
      • CULV – Culverts
      • DA – Drainage Appliance
      • GR – Guardrail
      • HP – Highway Profile
      • HRP – Highway Reference Point
      • LSF – Linear Safety Feature
      • MC – Maintenance Class
      • RA – Rest Area
      • RRX – Railroad Crossing
      • RW – Retaining Wall
      • SF – Safety Feature
      • SIGN – Sign
      • SL – Special Lane Profile
      • SS – Storm Sewer
      • SURF – Surface Type

      How to download information from the website:

      • Go to the DataBC Catalogue @ http://www.data.gov.bc.ca/dbc/catalogue/index.page?keywords=site:apps.gov.bc.ca&config=dbc&rc=1&size=25&sortid=4&WT.svl=Topnav

      • In the search box, type ‘MOT’ and hit enter. A list of search results will appear.

      • Find the data you are looking for, expand the details, and click on the “Click here for More Info” link.

      • The new page that opens will have a “Download Data” button if the data is freely downloadable by the public. Click on that button.

      • On the new window that opens, customize your “data order to your needs” and click submit. The following graphic details the important fields.

      Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

  53. Thank you, I found this information answered some of my questions. I offer a comment in regard to the statement: ” During storms, our maintenance contractors put all of their equipment into action —.” We know from numerous first-hand experiences and interviewing truck drivers that contractors rarely use “all of their equipment”. On at least a dozen occasions Highway 5 between Kamloops and Hope has had six to 10 cms of snow and we have seen one only or two or sometimes three plows. Once we saw three plows and one grader. On one occasion with approximately 10 cms of fresh snow on the highway, and more falling, one plow was plowing downhill near the snow shed and two others were plowing the side roads by the lakes. What a mess for us and the truckers.
    In our area at Adams Lake, in 2010 we went without any plowing for three days because the contractor could not find any drivers.
    And there is one of the root problems of your contracts— PART-TIME drivers. Few if any drivers are full-time so they must have other jobs to make enough money to live. When it snows many are already at their other jobs. The second difficulty is the fixed minimum payout the contractors receive. They make more money if they don’t plow!!! They save labour, operating and maintenance expenses.
    I have had excellent cooperation from the BC Highways staff in our area. As soon as they are notified of a problem (signage on Holding Road, untreated road conditions) they have responded promptly. Great work!
    If you are able please pass this email on to senior management and to the Minister’s office.

  54. Bonjour,

    I am working in road winter maintenance for the Ministry of Transportation of Quιbec (MTQ).

    Is that possible to get from your miistry a copy (hard or electronic copy)of British colombia Maintenance Manual. My interest is on quality standard and maintenance best practices in road winter operations.