Street sweeping
Street sweeping and cleaning for 2024 is underway and parking restrictions on affected streets start Monday, April 22 in Fort McMurray. All Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Routes are being completed first, followed by residential streets.
Help us clean your neighbourhood streets by moving vehicles off the road when maintenance is scheduled. By doing this, crews will be able to clean the entire street, curb-to-curb, instead of sweeping around cars.
Watch-out for no parking signs
Temporary no parking signs are being placed 24 hours in advance where street maintenance is occurring. Electronic message boards are also posted at the entrance of neighbourhoods, so residents can plan ahead to move their vehicles off the street.
Please move your vehicles off the street when the temporary no parking signs are posted.
Once signs have been placed:
- vehicles must be moved within 24 hours
- crews will have 72 hours to complete street maintenance
Signs will be removed once work is completed and vehicles may resume parking on the street.
Parking restrictions
During the regular street sweeping program, vehicles will be ticketed and towed in areas where signs have been posted for at least 24 hours.
Vehicles will be towed to an impound yard, with the owner responsible for their own towing and impound fees.
We ask for cooperation from all residents so our crews can perform their work quickly and minimize disruption.
If your vehicle gets towed |
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Towing services are provided by an independent, third-party company. All questions and arrangements related to towing and impound services should be directed to the company below. Towing companyFMG Energy Services Approximately 3 km past the airport turn off, turn right at the Auto-Wreckers sign. PhoneCall 780-838-0929 seven days per week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Office hours
Arrangements can be made to pick up a vehicle after hours by calling FMG Energy Services at 780-838-0929. |
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Fees for towing and impound |
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FMG Energy Services administers the towing and impound fees.
FMG Energy Services accepts cash, debit and all major credit cards. |
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Parking fines |
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| Notice of Violations are $120. For information about paying parking fines, visit the parking web page. |
Program Information
Safety notice
Please drive with caution around street sweepers or other road equipment. Dust reduces visibility so give our crews ample room to operate. Please also obey the signs on the back of the equipment. Your cooperation helps keep everyone safe.
Weather delays
Street sweeping requires dry conditions. If the weather changes and causes sweeping delays, parking signs will be removed. Parking signs will be replaced before crews return.
Rural sweeping
Street sweeping usually begins in early June in the rural communities. Street profiles are different in the rural communities, so sweeping crews do not need to work around on-street parking.
Rural residents will not need to adjust parking practices for street sweeping, so no parking signs will be posted.
Frequently asked questions
| I rely on on-street parking. What are my other options? |
| When you see signs posted in your neighbourhood with a notice about street sweeping, it's time to make temporary arrangements to park your vehicle elsewhere. Parking alternatives include:
On-street parking may also be available along primary and secondary routes when crews are sweeping residential streets. You can locate Primary and Secondary routes on the Road Maintenance Priorities map. Please pay attention to parking signs in the area to avoid being ticketed and towed. |
| Can I park in my alleyway when there are parking signs posted in my neighbourhood? |
| No. Parking in alleyways is not permitted, as per Bylaw 21/010. Alleyways exist only for emergency response vehicle access. |
| It looks like my street has already been swept. Can I park on my street if parking signs are still posted? |
| No. Your street may appear to have been swept, but further maintenance may be required. Please obey all parking signs to avoid being ticketed and towed. |
| Will street sweepers be working in my neighbourhood at night? |
| Crews avoid working in residential areas at night. They might work at night along primary and secondary routes, depending on location and necessity. |
| Can I park on my street at night if parking signs are posted? |
| It is each residents' responsibility to obey posted parking signs to avoid being ticketed and towed. |
| I'm going on vacation for a few weeks. Can I park my vehicle on the street while I'm away? |
| Residents should avoid parking on the street if they will be away for a period. It is each resident's responsibility to obey posted parking signs to avoid being ticketed and towed, even while they are away. |
| I live in a rebuild area and have some concerns about mud and debris on my street. Whom should I call? |
| Call Pulse at 780-743-7000 or visit rmwb.ca/pulse to report concerns about mud and debris, or any other issue related to rebuilt activities. |
Potholes and roads maintenance
Every year from March to November, crews are busy repairing potholes and completing road maintenance across the region. Over 2,700 potholes are expected to be fixed this year, along with sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs, crack sealing, and damaged asphalt repairs.
How potholes form
Potholes aren’t enjoyable for drivers or maintenance crews, but unfortunately, they are unavoidable in northern Alberta. During the freeze-thaw periods, water gets into cracks then freezes and expands. Micro-fractures turn into larger cracks, which allows even more water in, and the cycle repeats itself when water freezes again. Over time, potholes will continue to expand which is why crews repair thousands during the short construction season.
How are potholes repaired?
From late May to early fall, pothole repairs will increase as work shifts from the temporary fixes, to the more permanent “hot-mix” repairs, which requires the local asphalt plants to be open for purchase.
Pothole patching is performed either as an “emergency” repair which can happen during wet and cold conditions, or as routine maintenance scheduled for warmer and drier periods.
Emergency repairs are usually done only when a pothole presents a substantial safety or traffic operational issue.
There are two methods for fixing a pothole:
1. Cold-Patch: Cold mix asphalt material is shoveled into the pothole, which may or may not be filled with water and debris and compacted if possible. Cold patch repairs are quick, but temporary; they are a fix performed when traffic and weather conditions prevent a more permanent repair.
2. Hot-Patch: Water and debris are removed from the pothole. Tack coat oil is applied and then a heated asphalt mix is placed and compacted. Because this method is more labour and equipment intensive, it is usually done when traffic and weather conditions are more favorable.
Hot patching is the favored approach for repairing potholes but this can only be used during the summer months (May-September) when hot mix asphalt is available.
Throughout the rest of the year, we use cold mix, which will sometimes need to be filled multiple times.
Report a pothole
To report a pothole, contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or online at rmwb.ca/pulse.
Pothole repairs are prioritized based on several factors including traffic volume, safety impact and available resources. While many pothole locations are identified by the Roads team, we encourage residents to report locations as well.
Highway 63, including the on and exit ramps, are maintained and operated by the Government of Alberta. To report a pothole on Highway 63, please contact the Highway Maintenance Contractor, Emcon Services at 1-800-390-2242.
Safety first
For everyone’s safety, drive cautiously through construction zones, keep a safe distance from maintenance crews and equipment, and follow all posted signage. Please plan ahead and expect minor delays while construction work is happening.
There are larger road rehabilitation construction projects happening this summer. Find more information about these projects here.
Frequently Asked Questions
| How many potholes does Roads repair? |
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| Why is that big pothole filled with gravel, instead of being paved? |
| What you are seeing likely is not a pothole. Potholes are always repaired with asphalt. Holes created in the roadway for underground work, called Utility Cuts, are filled with gravel, and then scheduled for paving after the underground work is completed. |
| Why doesn't the city fix potholes in the winter? |
| The city does repair potholes and utility cuts in the winter; however, during the winter, the fixes can only be temporary. This is because the best way to repair holes or utility cuts is by using a hot-mix asphalt and is not available in our region until the summer months. In the winter, potholes and utility cuts are maintained with cold mix, gravel, and recycled asphalt. This temporary mix may shift or settle during a freeze/thaw cycle. |