Snow and Ice Control Facts

Nova Scotia's Department of Transportation and Public Works is responsible for operating and maintaining over 23,000 kilometres of roads and 3,800 bridges.

The department spends about $31 million a year on snow and ice control. That dollar figure includes money for salt and sand, fuel, equipment and labour.

The department hires an additional 500 staff in winter, bringing the total workforce of the Highway Operations division to 1,400.

The department uses about 400 plows for winter maintenance, including graders, trucks, loaders and four-wheel drive vehicles.

The department uses about 260,000 tonnes of salt a year.

Salt is an effective anti-icing tool in the Maritime provinces and central Canada. Salt works effectively when temperatures are between 0 and -10 degrees Celsius.

On primary highways, Nova Scotia applies nine per cent less salt per kilometre than Prince Edward Island, 16 per cent less than Newfoundland and 14 per cent more than New Brunswick.

On secondary highways, Nova Scotia applies 16 per cent less than New Brunswick and about the same as Newfoundland. Prince Edward Island doesn't apply salt to secondary highways.