Snow clearing ahead of schedule, snow removal to begin soon

The incredible undertaking of clearing snow from last week’s winter storm has been moving ahead of schedule, with road clearing now expected to be complete tomorrow, days ahead of the original projection of Friday, November 20. Once snow clearing is complete, efforts will turn to snow clearing on industrial streets and removal of snow from neighbourhoods across the city. 

“At first, we’d planned on focusing efforts on clearing those streets worst affected or those with higher traffic, but with our increased capacity, crews are now clearing snow from driving lanes on all streets, in every neighbourhood, city-wide,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “This has proven to be the most efficient method. We are also going to back lanes to level out the snow, or pack it down, to improve mobility. This work is all happening at the same time as residential clearing. If there’s still problem areas after the initial pass through, crews will return once all neighbourhoods and major roadways have been addressed.”   

By tonight it is estimated that clearing will have been restored, or work continuing, in a total of 63 (or 97 per cent) of the 65 residential neighbourhoods on the schedule. Efforts will also be turned to industrial streets and snow removal in Business Improvement Districts. 

“I would like thank the many people behind the scenes who are supporting and orchestrating this monumental effort to get the city moving around again,” says Schmidt. “This has been an extraordinary event and people are coming together all through our City, whether that be neighbours helping neighbours or crews working around the clock.” 

Residents are asked to please avoid pushing snow out onto the street when clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways, as this can clog up streets with even more snow and continue to create accessibility issues. 

More information on our process for snow clearing can be found at saskatoon.ca/snow.