St. John’s City Council will be looking at a unique proposal to help keep sidewalks clear in winter at this week’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
The idea of using heated sidewalks in the downtown to help keep them free of snow and ice was first proposed by Councilor Sandy Hickman just over a year ago. He proposed that the city look at incorporating such a system as part of the Water Street rehabilitation project.
According to the committee agenda, a study was conducted to determine the feasibility of such a project.
There were some benefits identified, such as less snow clearing machines on the sidewalks while stores are open and improved sidewalk conditions. However, many of the challenges listed can impede those benefits.
Such a system cannot work properly if too much snow falls. As well, for snow and ice to properly drain away the city would need to alter street plowing to ensure no snow buildup on the side of the street. The cost of such a system is also significant: Excluding the initial installation,the annual energy costs would be 20 times the current contract to clear the sidewalks.
Council will discuss the possibility of a pilot project for the system as part of phase three of the Water Street rehabilitation project at Committee of the Whole on Wednesday.