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The City of Saskatoon said in a news release on Sunday that the snowfall combined with gusting winds was causing drifting, and snow crews and contractors had been working around the clock plowing, grading and sanding/salting.
Before the storm began the city had said that 17 city graders and 16 contractor graders would be used, and that additional emergency contractor graders were available if needed. The city is also operating 20 tandem sanders, 10 snowplow trucks, 10 one-ton sanders, as well as equipment for clearing city-maintained sidewalks.
The city crews are concentrating on plowing Circle Drive, expressways and accesses to fire stations and hospitals while city and contractor graders are hitting priority streets. Social media users were reporting many side streets in the city were impassable Sunday.
The city’s snow response plan says Priority 1 streets with three or more lanes — like Circle Drive, Idylwyld, 22nd Street and College Drive — will be plowed within 12 hours after the snowfall ends, while Priority 2 streets with double lanes — like Clarence Avenue, McKercher Drive and Millar Avenue, as well as Saskatoon Transit routes — would be graded within 36 hours
The city’s street snow grading map shows the status of snow grading operations.
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What transit is available Sunday?
The city also said that transit on Sunday would have reduced service for fixed route to Priority 1 streets only. Access Transit will operate as emergency services only, the city said, provided buses are able to access the area.
The city is asking those wanting to use transit to check the Transit App and or the Google Maps transit option to see the live location of any bus on the road.
The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline map shows travel is not recommended in many areas of the province, as well as a number of road closures.
Saskatchewan RCMP says that if travel is unavoidable then drivers should be prepared for anything, stocking their vehicle with extra warm clothes, candles, matches, non-perishable snacks, a snow shovel, traction mats, booster cables and a tow rope or chain.
Drivers who become stranded on the highway should not leave their vehicles and should run the engine periodically to warm up, but try to conserve fuel.
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