Ontario is expanding the ‘Track My Plow’ program to the Chatham area – an online portal that allows the public to track snowplows on provincial highways.
The new program has already been launched in the Owen Sound, Simcoe County, Huntsville, Kingston West and Bancroft areas and will expand to other parts of the province in the future. ‘Track My Plow’ is one of the ways the province is keeping drivers informed about winter weather and road conditions. Other resources include:
– The Ministry of Transportation’s website and Twitter feed that provide information on preparing for winter travel, driving safely in winter conditions and on Ontario’s winter maintenance standards.
– 511 Traveller Information Services that offers information about Ontario’s provincially maintained highways, including time-stamped information about road closures and winter road conditions. The public can also call 511 for information on current road conditions or follow 511 on Twitter @511Ontario.
This year, 511 Traveller Information Services has introduced several new enhancements including:
– Region-specific bilingual Twitter accounts to help travellers get more accurate reporting for their specific areas
– 140 more cameras to provide online users with more sight lines to better assess winter road conditions
– More accurate road condition reporting that includes a detailed date/time stamp that indicates when the condition was observed
– A mobile-friendly site, allowing easier access to current information on an electronic device
Ensuring that Ontario’s roads remain among the safest in North America is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up, and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs.
The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.
More information:
– The Chatham maintenance contract area includes highways in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Essex County, Lambton County and part of Elgin County.
– The Chatham area has a total of 37 pieces of equipment viewable on the ‘Track My Plow’ site.
– Ontario roads consistently rank among the safest in North America.
– In response to the Auditor General’s report on Winter Highway Maintenance released on April 29, 2015, the Government of Ontario released its Winter Maintenance Action Plan to address all of the report’s recommendations.
The regionalized 511 Twitter accounts include – @511ONCentral, @511ONEastern, @511ONNortheast, @511ONNorthwest and @511ONWest .
