Rubber-edged snow plow blades out on the roads for coming winter storm

The City of Ottawa's snow clearing crews are preparing for the next big snowstorm that is expected to hit Ottawa in the coming hours, and this year, nearly all of the big snow plows will be outfitted with some new technology.

The city has been testing rubber-edged blades on plows for several winters already, and now a majority of the fleet will have them.

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"This is going to our third season of changing over the steel blades to the rubber-encapsulated carbide blades on the trucks," said Christopher Paquette, program manager of operational research and projects at the City of Ottawa.

Nearly all of the large trucks in the city's fleet have made the change and Paquette says crews are already seeing a difference on the roads.

The rubber attachments on the plows act similar to a squeegee. The traditional steel blades don't bend and flex the same way the rubber-encased blades do. The new rubber blades match the contour of the road and "float" within the plow.

It ends up moving more snow off the roads, which leads to less ice buildup, and that means the city doesn't need to use as much salt to keep the roads clear. The rubber blades are quieter, too.

The winter storm warning in effect for Ottawa calls for between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow mixed with freezing rain Tuesday and Wednesday.

The City says it is monitoring the storm closely.

Here is how the road-clearing operations will unfold when the storm arrives:

At the start of accumulation

• Highway 174, the Transitway, major roads and arterials.
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 2 to 4 hours to complete.

2.5 centimetres accumulation

• Sidewalks in the downtown core and the winter cycling network
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 4 hours to complete

5 centimetres accumulation

• Secondary roads and minor collectors such as Wall Road, Dovercourt Avenue, Donald Street, Springbrook Drive, etc.
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take up to 6 hours to complete

5 centimetres accumulation

• Residential sidewalks
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 12 to 16 hours to complete

7 or more centimetres of accumulation

• Residential roads and lanes such as Billings Bridge, Waverley Street, Smith Road, etc.
• After the last snowflake has fallen, these routes may take 10 to 16 hours to complete.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez.