PLOWING AHEAD – IMPROVEMENTS TO 2014-15 SNOW & ICE PLAN

The City of Saskatoon is ready 24/7 to sand, salt and plow streets during and after a snow event this winter. Several improvements have been made to the 2014-15 Snow & Ice Plan resulting in better winter roads for everyone in Saskatoon.

“We will be engaged in multiple pilot projects in conjunction with the private sector involving our anti-icing, de-icing and sanding programs,” says Pat Hyde, Director of Public Works. “For anti-icing, a chemical is applied to the road before it snows which acts as an ice bond-breaker to prevent the ice from forming on the roadway surface.  This will enable snow grading equipment to be more effective and prevent ice building up.  Our intent is to utilize this on select sections of the high-speed roadways/bridges to monitor its performance.”

The City will also use a technique called pre-wetting where a salt brine (or other chemical) is sprayed on the sand before it is applied to Circle Drive and other high-traffic streets to improve traction.  Wet sand sticks to the road better and is more effective in extreme cold conditions when dry sand would otherwise bounce off or be blown off by vehicles.

Other improvements include:

Activating the 18-vehicle snow train to remove collected snow along the edges of Circle Drive, bridges and overpasses.

More frequent removal of snow piles from school zones and more clearly defined and expanded removal zones around schools.

A more efficient and cost-effective approach to snow grading during and following a snow event by expanding the private contractor maintenance areas to four area zones rather than two. 

New this season, the snow route is divided into two groups and can now be identified with a Green Circle or Blue Square.  If an extreme snow fall occurs, a temporary parking ban along the snow route will be declared so that graders can make a driving path as quickly as possible.  Residents are urged to familiarize themselves with these routes. Find out which streets are along a Green Circle or Blue Square snow route on the City’s webpage.

“As usual, priority street grading will continue to occur during and following a snow event; and city-wide neighbourhood grading will be initiated after the snowpack is a minimum of 15 centimetres (6 inches) to prevent ruts,” says Hyde. “This program will be carried out later in the season to reduce the impact of snow piles (windrows) on residential parking. Snow grading and removal will occur as required along narrow congested streets where windrow storage is not a practical option.”

Residents can access our Snow & Ice Interactive Map to see which streets have been graded after a heavy snowfall as well as information on all other Snow & Ice programs by visiting saskatoon.ca and clicking on Better Winter Roads.

From sanding icy roads to snow grading, City crews are Plowing Ahead and are ready for whatever winter brings this year!

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.