City crews have spread out across Mississauga to fix potholes and damaged sod and tidy up parks, trails, streets and other places that have been left a mess by the winter months.

The City of Mississauga’s annual spring maintenance and cleanup campaign kicked off this week and workers will be kept busy in the coming days and weeks with various tasks.

“City crews are busy with spring cleanup and repairs — filling potholes, repairing sod damage, refreshing parks and getting the city ready for the busy, sunny seasons ahead,” the city said in a news release on Thursday. “Winter weather is tough on Mississauga’s roads, infrastructure, parks and trails.”

The work ahead includes filling potholes, repairing sidewalks, sweeping streets and repairing sod damage caused by snow clearing, the city added.

“This is important work that helps keep everyone moving safely. This annual work also includes preparing Mississauga’s parks, sports fields and trails for the busy spring and summer seasons.”

Repairing damaged sod is part of the city’s spring cleanup and repair effort.

Maintenance and cleanup work to take place on roads and infrastructure include:

Repairing potholes and asphalt on city roads, including residential streets and bike lanes.
Inspecting and repairing sidewalks.
Repairing sod damage caused by snow-clearing operations.
Cleaning up litter on roadways, catch basins and drains.
Sweeping streets and flushing hard surfaces. This includes curb-face sidewalks, traffic islands, hard-surfaced boulevards, roads, curbside gutters and on-street bike lanes.
Removing illegal signs.

The city noted crews started repairing potholes in the past few weeks, with several hundred tonnes of hot mix asphalt to be used throughout the warmer months. While most potholes are repaired in the spring, the city fills potholes year-round when temperatures are warmer and the weather allows for it.

Officials remind residents to call 311 or submit an online service request should they spot any potholes, damaged sod or other infrastructure in need or repair.

For the first time, the city this past winter cleared snow from all sidewalks in Mississauga and not only priority sidewalks as in past years.

“When clearing snow from sidewalks, the city’s plow operators try to minimize sod damage as much as possible. Unfortunately, some sod damage may still occur,” officials said.

Sod damage can happen for a variety of reasons:

Sod that has overgrown onto the sidewalk can easily get caught by the plow.
When the ground is wet and not frozen (typically early and late in the winter season), sod is easily lifted and torn.
Deep snow can hide sidewalk edge lines, making it difficult for the plow operator to see the sidewalk’s boundaries.
Obstacles like landscaping, low-hanging branches and vehicles parked on the sidewalk may force the plow operator onto the grass to avoid hitting them.

After receiving reports of sod damage, city staff will investigate. If the repair requires new sod, it will be replaced from May to June.

Street sweeping is an important part of the city’s spring maintenance campaign, officials say.

In April, weather permitting, the city will start sweeping streets and flushing hard surfaces to clear litter and debris left behind from the winter.

“Street sweeping prevents pollutants from entering local waterways, like Lake Ontario, through Mississauga’s stormwater system,” the city said.

Crews will also be working in the weeks ahead to get parks, green spaces and trails ready for the busy spring and summer seasons.

While work takes place in the city’s parks, trails, woodlots and natural areas all year long, work in the spring typically focuses on:

Cleaning up litter.
Preparing plant beds for planting.
Cleaning up trails and turf areas and maintaining natural areas.
Preparing and maintaining sports fields for the upcoming season.
Cutting grass and cleaning up plant beds along certain city boulevards.
Mulching leaves.
Planting trees in parks and on boulevards.
Proactively inspecting trees in parks and on boulevards for any health or safety concerns that need to be addressed.
Trimming and pruning trees, hedges and bushes away from roadways and sidewalks.
Maintaining recently planted trees. This includes burlap removal, minor pruning, replacing tree stakes and reforming mulch rings.

(All photos: City of Mississauga)


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