• Sweeping Tips

  • Watch for signage to remove vehicles, basketball hoops, and other items that may impede the street sweeper from cleaning debris from gutters or road edge.
  • Residents who wish to sweep the area in front of their property are advised not to create piles of sand, as these piles can damage a sweeper and operators are instructed to swerve around such piles.
  • If street sweeping and waste pickup fall on the same day, residents can place waste bins at the end of driveways, as long as the waste bins are placed within reach of the collector trucks and there is sufficient space on either side of the bins. This will help to ensure a better quality street cleaning as sweepers will no longer need to maneuver around waste bins placed along curbs.
  • Some high-density areas will have parking restrictions posted and/or notices delivered in advance of sweeping (e.g. downtown east).
  • Street sweepers utilize water to help reduce dust clouds. While the dust is reduced, it cannot be eliminated. If too much water is used, it creates mud, which the sweeper cannot pick up.
  • If you are approaching a sweeper unit, please do so with care.
• Spring Street Sweeping

  Spring street sweeping broken down into three shifts and various routes:

  • Day shift and afternoon shift will concentrate on local and collector roads. These areas are completed between the hours of 8:00 am and 12:00 midnight to reduce noise concerns.
  • Night shift (12:00 midnight to 8:00 am) will concentrate on arterial roads and city-maintained sidewalks. This is the most cost-effective and efficient time to complete the street sweeping due to the reduced traffic volumes on roadways.
  • Work will typically commence in the valley bottom and work upwards to the higher elevations.
  • Weather permitting, spring sweeping is scheduled to begin in March to clean up winter sand and dirt. Sweeping can only take place when the temperatures are consistently above zero. Some areas may require multiple passes by the sweeper to ensure all debris is cleared.
  • Signage will be placed at least 24 hours before an area is scheduled to be swept. Signs may be up longer, depending on weather and availability of sweepers. In the event the area has obstacles that prevent the sweepers from reaching the curb (e.g. waste bins), the sweeper may return at a later date.
  • All roads in the City's maintenance area will be swept during the spring sweep, weather permitting.

  Bike Lane Sweeping

  Bike lanes are swept in conjunction with the roads.

Road Maintenance

• Snow and Ice Control

  During the winter months, and with annual snow clearing budget of approximately $1.9 million, City crews work diligently to keep our streets safe. Learn more.

• Line Painting

  Motorists are reminded that driving over newly painted lines is an infraction under the Motor Vehicle Act and subject to a fine of $109. Please slow down, be patient, and use caution when approaching areas that are being painted. 

  Spring Line Painting

  Annual spring line painting usually begins in April, weather depending and once street sweeping operations are near completion, and continues until approximately the end of June.

  Fall Line Painting

  Fall line painting involves repainting all centrelines and skip lines and some crosswalks, which helps to alleviate the wear of lines throughout the winter. This generally takes about two weeks. 

  Information

  The City has recently switched over to thermoplast and two-part epoxy paints in certain areas to lower maintenance costs and lengthen durability. We are also using these products on new or rehab road projects, as they tend to work best when used in conjunction with new pavement.

  Our painting program consists of layout, hand, and centreline work. Layout work includes street line spotting required by the staff to correctly apply traffic markings. Residents will see two methods used throughout the city: painted and Thermoplast. Painted marks are used as reference for staff, while Thermoplast marks are used in higher wear areas as reference and as a longer term guide for motorists. This work generally begins in March.

  Hand work involves painting all markings other than centrelines and lane lines, such as crosswalks, stop bars, and pedestrian symbols. The work is completed using various stencils in conjunction with smaller, single-person painters. This work starts in April and is completed by the end of June.

  Centreline work is all centrelines, skip lines, and lane lines throughout the city. A centreliner and a buffer truck are used for this application. This work is completed in four to five weeks, generally starting the beginning of May.

• Crack Sealing

  Crack sealing is a necessary pavement maintenance measure to ensure the long life of the pavement, and typically takes place in the spring after roads have been swept. 

• Potholes

  Repairing potholes is an important and affordable method of maintaining our roads. We encourage the public to report potholes to help keep roads safe. 

  Potholes are formed when water seeps into small cracks in the asphalt and freezes. The expansion of the ice in the crack causes the asphalt to crumble, and potholes eventually form after repeated freeze-thaw cycles. While Kamloops can generally boast about having a fairly mild winter climate, the constant variation of temperature above and below freezing results in the creation of potholes every winter and more predominantly in early spring.

  

  To repair a pothole, crews will utilize various materials—a pre-mixed, bagged product; cold mix asphalt; and recycled asphalt. Crews will remove the old asphalt, dry the area, and fill the hole with new material. The area is then repacked.

  A skid steer with a small asphalt milling attachment allows the City to do medium-sized repairs. We produce our own hot mix asphalt for these areas using an asphalt recycler, which heats up old asphalt. Adding tar rejuvenates the material to a usable state again.

  Unfortunately, the repaired potholes are susceptible to the same freeze-thaw cycle and, at times, require repeated filling until a more permanent repair can be scheduled in the spring. During these freeze-thaw cycle events, up to two City crews operate 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday, patrolling and filling potholes they find.

  The City is always looking for better ways to alleviate the problem of potholes that appear every spring. However, until a better system is found, motorists must be vigilant for the ever present pothole menace.

  We encourage citizens to report potholes by phoning the Civic Operations Centre at 250-828-3461 or by using the MyKamloops mobile app.

  *Potholes located on provincial highways are the responsibility of the Province. To report a pothole on a provincial road, visit https://drivebc.ca/rahp/.