Saskatoon ahead of schedule on snow clearing after major storm

After a major winter snowstorm hammered Saskatoon with snow, the city says work to clear the roads is already a full day ahead of schedule.

According to the city, as much as 40 centimetres of snow fell on Saskatoon during the storm, which closed schools and hampered travel around the city.

In an update on Tuesday morning, Goran Saric, the city’s roadways director, said residential clearing is expected to begin overnight on Wednesday.

Saric said Priority 1 streets have essentially all been graded, as have 75 per cent of Priority 2 streets and about 40 per cent of Priority 3 streets. That means city and contractor crews can start on residential areas a day earlier than planned, Saric explained.

“With that progress we expect now all priority streets to be completed by Wednesday (at) midnight,” he said.

Goran Saric, Saskatoon’s roadways director. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

“Our initial plan was to complete them by Thursday midnight, but we were able to accelerate some of this work, so that’s good news. Once that work is completed we will immediately be moving to residential neighbourhoods and start grading local streets.”

Saric said a list of the neighbourhoods that will be graded within 48 hours after workers shift their focus to residential areas will be posted on the city’s website on Wednesday, and the list will be updated as the work progresses.

Saric also asked residents to park in garages or driveways whenever possible.

“This will allow crews to easier navigate the narrow, local streets and complete snow clearing faster,” he said.

Saskatoon’s downtown core will be in much better shape for drivers on Tuesday, Saric added.

“Crews were also able to grade the majority of downtown streets and avenues last night, and clear the downtown transit terminal, so those streets and avenues will look much better today,” he said.

“There is still some outstanding cleanup work to be completed there in the downtown area, but we’ll get that work done as soon as we have an opportunity.”

City workers are also applying sand to slippery areas and clearing city-maintained sidewalks and multi-use pathways, Saric said. Crews will also address what he called “ramping hazards” on certain bridges, where snow is piled against concrete barriers and railings.

“We were also able to send a few pieces of equipment to some known problem areas in outlying neighbourhoods to make at least one pass and get people moving again,” Saric noted.

The roadways director thanked residents for their patience during the cleanup, and reminded drivers to watch for blue and amber flashing lights and use plenty of caution around heavy equipment.