ACCELERATED SNOW GRADING IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
Over the next several days, City and contract crews will be out in full force grading streets by neighbourhood, clearing ruts and uncovering catch basins as a proactive approach to prepare for a smooth spring melt. This will be an accelerated version of the January City-Wide Snow Grading program, when 16 neighbourhoods were graded until the extreme cold weather made it impossible to continue.
Graders are in the following neighbourhoods today: College Park, College Park East, Confederation Park and Dundonald.
City roadway inspectors have been monitoring streets throughout all areas of the city and, while there is little risk of deep ruts developing, the snow is thick enough on some streets to make it difficult for vehicles to maneuver.
The timing is perfect for a full-force attack on streets that weren't yet graded this year. The long-term forecast for warm weather will keep the snow and ice soft and easier to manage, plus graders will uncover accessible catch basins to improve drainage as the snow is melting. This grading, along with the January grading performed on residential streets, will not only prevent dangerous ruts, it will speed up the drying process within the driving lanes.
Grading snow from the driving lanes will also help reduce the standing water on the roadway which can seep into cracks in the asphalt and create potholes. With less moisture on the roads, the potential for potholes is less.
What about parking signs, vehicle towing and snow removal?
The short answer is: these will not occur. In order to take full advantage of the warm weather and complete as many streets as soon as possible, we need to begin the program immediately. The process of using the high-visibility yellow “No Parking” sandwich boards to reduce vehicles on the street will be abandoned during this accelerated program. Graders will go around parked vehicles. The snow will be pushed to the side of the road into windrows, keeping catch basins clear and maximizing on-street parking where possible. Snow will not be removed and hauled away.
Only select neighbourhoods will have parking enforcement over the next two days due the narrow streets, and dense on-street parking. These are: Varsity View (Avenues) on Wednesday, March 12; and Mayfair (Avenues) on Thursday, March 13. To avoid a ticket on these Avenues and being relocated, vehicles must be removed by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled day where “No Parking” signs are posted.
This winter, with some funding from the dedicated road levy, snow grading and removal efforts were increased along priority streets, in the business improvement districts, industrial areas, and narrow, high density residential streets. These proactive snow management activities on Saskatoon streets this winter benefit us in more ways than one. With less snow on our streets to melt during warm weather, there are fewer chances for ponding. The snow piled into windrows will allow that snow to melt slowly, reducing the ponding around catch basins. In addition, grading the snow into windrows will remove a lot of sand that would otherwise collect in the driving lanes of the streets. This will also help to improve the spring street sweep program.
During the accelerated snow grading, many other roadway programs will continue such as: regular salting/sanding as required; pothole patching with cold mix asphalt; snow grading on severely rutted streets; defrosting catch basins that are causing large puddles; maintenance of utility cuts (gravel areas) until permanent asphalt patching can occur; snow removal on high-traffic priority streets at night; and sidewalk/pathway snow clearing.
City-Wide Snow Grading schedules and information is available on the website at www.saskatoon.ca/go/snow. Follow our social media channels for updates.
For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook from the links at saskatoon.ca.