Springtime Road Maintenance begins as Snow & Ice Programs Wind Down

Spring is finally here, and with that, the City of Saskatoon’s winter road maintenance season is coming to a close. Crews worked 24/7 sanding, salting, grading, plowing and removing snow and ice from streets to keep drivers moving. Crews will continue to respond if a snow or ice event occurs in the coming weeks.

“With the favourable weather, we are now shifting our focus to the annual Sweeping and Pothole Repair Programs,” says Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation & Utilities. “The Spring Sweeping Blitz is already underway and is designed to collect the bulk of the debris left behind over winter, which in turn increases efficiency and cost effectiveness of the City Wide Neighbourhood Sweeping program.”

The Blitz will also remove sand and debris from medians where snow was stored. Sweepers will go around parked vehicles during the Blitz program; parking enforcement will not be applied.

If weather cooperates, city- wide sweeping is expected to start May 1. During the city-wide program, parking enforcement will be applied in order to allow for a full curb-to-curb sweep. The now familiar bright yellow “No Parking” signs will be used to notify residents and visitors of sweeping dates for each neighbourhood.

“With more typical spring conditions, we want to get out there and clean things up as quickly as possible,” Jorgenson says. “Less sand and debris on city streets and improved methods of reporting and managing potholes are just a few of our priorities for 2016.”

The Spring Pothole Blitz begins April 11 when hot mix asphalt is available, with the focus on many of the same high-traffic streets as the Spring Street Sweeping Blitz.

Pothole repairs are prioritized based on their size, depth, location within the roadway (driving lane, curb lane, etc.), and the traffic volume on that street. Potholes that cause concern in the driving lanes of high traffic streets will be repaired first.

Residents are encouraged to report potholes with the Report-a-Pothole interactive map on our website, beginning Monday, April 4.

Report-a-Pothole interactive map

• There are now three classifications of potholes to select from: low, medium, and high priority. High Priority (red) potholes locations are repaired first, followed by Medium Priority (yellow) locations. For program and crew efficiency, Low Priority (grey) locations will be repaired following the neighbourhood street sweeping in May and June.
• A construction projects map layer shows if construction is happening or about to. Paving will occur after construction is completed. Pothole repairs will be coordinated and prioritized with other construction activities to maximize crew efficiency and cost savings. 
• The application requires contact information in order to report a location, which allows inspectors to contact residents directly to confirm details in order to locate and rate each pothole.

“While our focus shifts towards our spring street sweeping and pothole patching programs, we are always aware that the last snowfall typically occurs in April and has been known to happen as late as May,” says Jorgenson. “Crews will be ready for whatever Mother Nature brings our way.”

Winter road maintenance results:

• 12 snow falls, including 3 where more than more than 5 centimeters fell
• Removed 4,524 tandem truckloads of snow
• Applied 11,000 tonnes of sand, 5,500 tonnes of Caliber blend sand, 4,090 tonnes of Salt and 132 tonnes of Caliber pre wet liquid
• Used 305 tonnes of cold mix asphalt to temporarily repair potholes and utility cuts
• Repaired 311 total combined water and sewer issues

For more information about the City’s Snow & Ice programs visit saskatoon.ca/snow. Find street sweeping and pothole patching updates and schedules at saskatoon.ca/betterroads, and to report emergency pothole locations, please phone Public Works immediately at 306-975-2476.

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.