News Releases

City crews have been working day and night since April 13, brushing off centre medians and sweeping the curbs along 830 lane kilometers of high-traffic streets in all areas of the City.   To date, 665 tandem dump truck loads of sand and debris have been collected during the Spring Sweeping Blitz, reducing some of the dust and allowing residents to enjoy the outdoors this spring.

Beginning Monday, May 4, Accelerated City-Wide Street Sweeping will clean all streets curb-to-curb by neighbourhood, beginning at 7:00 a.m. 7 days a week.  

“As long as the weather cooperates, all City streets will be swept over the next six weeks,” says Pat Hyde, Director of Public Works.  “As a result of the weekend’s snow storm, sweeping on a few streets scheduled during the Blitz, had to be postponed and will be completed next week.”

Bright yellow “No Parking” sandwich boards will be placed throughout the scheduled area at least 36 hours in advance of sweeping to notify residents and visitors of the sweeping date when parking is not permitted. Each neighbourhood is scheduled around the front street garbage and recycling collection programs.  Neighbourhoods with grid streets and less off-street parking will have Streets and Avenues swept on different days to make parking available for vehicles that need to move.

Alongside daytime neighbourhood sweeping, evening crews will have separate schedules for all School Zones and Business Improvement Districts (BID). For the safety of students, the roadway within the 30 km/h school zone speed limit will again be swept at night, beginning at 8:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday.  School zones and BIDs are identified on the new street sweeping interactive map.  Refer to the online schedule and watch for new overnight “No Parking” signs to avoid getting a ticket and having your vehicle relocated.

Important to note:

• Residents are encouraged to check the online schedule often and pay attention to the day of the week on the “No Parking” signs placed on the street.  Rescheduling may occur to accommodate delays due to weather or other unforeseen circumstance. Street Sweeping service alerts will be issued as soon as an interruption occurs, and all changes will be updated online.
• Vehicles that remain on a scheduled street beginning at 7:00 a.m. will be ticketed $100 and relocated to a nearby street. Find My Vehicle application can help you locate a towed vehicle or call our customer service centre at 306-975-2476.

“We want to get out there and clean the streets as quickly as possible, so everyone can enjoy the warmer weather,” says Hyde. “Drivers are reminded to be patient and drive carefully when they encounter slow moving street sweeping vehicles.”

Visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads for the Street Sweeping schedules; link to a new street sweeping interactive map; and Street Sweeping service alerts for notifications of cancelled or incomplete sweeping areas. 

As the last of the snow melts and warmer temperatures are on the way, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo will be switching to summer hours on Friday, May 1, 2015.  The extended hours mean that the Forestry Farm Park gates will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and the Zoo will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  The last person will be admitted to the Zoo one hour before closing. Parking fees also come into effect on May 1.  The public is reminded that the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is a pet-free park.

Watch for new animals arriving this year at the Zoo, and visit the red panda and cougars in the PotashCorp Ark exhibit, which houses animals never seen before in Saskatoon.  

For more information, visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/zoo. 

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.

NEW

MCKERCHER DR NB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED AT COLLEGE DR
(Graffiti cleaning)
Start: April 30, 7:00 a.m. End: April 30, 8:30 a.m.

COLLEGE DR EB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED AT MCKERCHER DR
(Graffiti cleaning)
Start: April 30, 8:30 a.m. End: April 30, 10:30 a.m.

8TH ST E WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANE CLOSED AT MELROSE AVE
(Hydrovacing)
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: April 30, 12:00 p.m.

DIEFENBAKER DR EB CLOSED AT VANIER CRES & PEARSON PL
(Storm lead repair)
2-way traffic in WB lanes
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: April 30, 6:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR/HWY 16 EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED APPROACHING OVERPASS
(New bypass construction)
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: May 11, 5:00 p.m.

22ND ST W WB CLOSED FROM AVE J S TO AVE K S
(Water Connection Repair)
2-way traffic in EB between Avenue K & Avenue I
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: April 30, 6:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR NB TO 22ND ST OFF-RAMP MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANE CLOSED
(Crash cushion repair)
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: April 30, 6:00 p.m.

COLLEGE DR WB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE APPROACHING CIRCLE DR
(Graffiti cleaning)
Start: April 30, 10:30 a.m. End: April 30, 12:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

NEW

MILLAR AVE SB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED FROM 45TH ST E TO 43RD ST E
(Connection repairs)
Start: April 29, 8:00 a.m. End: April 29, 5:00 p.m.

22ND ST E WB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED APPROACHING AVE P N
(Groundwater testing)
Ave P NB median (inside) lane closed north of 22nd St
Start: April 29, 9:00 a.m. End: April 29, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

CASH GRANTS AWARDED TO SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

A total of $10,000 is allocated through the City of Saskatoon 2015 Environmental Grant program to recognize local non-profit organizations implementing initiatives that support the City’s strategic goal of Environmental Leadership. To be eligible for the grant, activities must relate to protection of the environment; conservation of natural resources; and/or environmental communications, education and research.

Congratulations to the organizations that will receive funding in 2015:

Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre ($1,600): to increase the educational experience for visitors of the Garden Patch, by providing demonstrations of solar PV energy generation, water catchment techniques and home composting methods.

Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan ($1,400): to connect kids and agriculture through the Summer Garden Program which focuses on plants, gardening, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship.

South SK River Watershed Stewards ($1,400): to initiate awareness and monitoring programs for Aquatic Invasive Mussels in Saskatoon and the South Saskatchewan River watershed, with the ultimate goal of preventing the invasion of AIMs in the watershed.

Saskatoon Cycles ($1,400): to purchase bicycle racks and expand outreach to allow the Bike Valet to continue its commitment to providing an environmentally conscience option for Saskatoon festival attendees.

Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Co-operative ($1,400): to develop and deliver a pilot project to eliminate and/or divert waste for re-use, by working with the Market’s food service vendors to provide organic waste to local farmers as a soil amendment.

Saskatoon Jazz Festival ($1,400): to implement proper recycling, waste and water stations for attendees at the Friendship Park ‘Club Jazz’ venue of the 2015 Saskatoon Jazz Festival; the initiatives will be communicated through various marketing methods.

Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan ($1,400): to fund Wild about Saskatoon’s NatureCity Festival 2015, designed to encourage residents to appreciate and value wildlife and wild places in our urban landscape.

More information on the City of Saskatoon’s environmental initiatives can be found at Saskatoon.ca/ourenvironment.

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.

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The City of Saskatoon (City) Urban Forestry and Public Works crews continue to inspect and follow up on reports of tree damage, as well as monitor catch basins and ponding water as a result of the heavy, wet snowfall over the weekend.

The Urban Forestry crews are focusing on locations where branches are blocking roadways and sidewalks or have the potential to cause injury or damage.  To report damage to City-owned trees that have fallen and are blocking roadways and sidewalks, residents are asked to call 306-975-2890. Callers should provide the adjacent address and a description of the issue in order for staff to prioritize responses.

Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner and brush that is cleared as a result of private trees obstructing public sidewalks or roadways will be left on the adjacent private property for the owner to clean up.  The City has two compost depots for residents to drop off non-elm branches, stumps, and tree trimmings for free:

• West – Highway 7 Compost Depot: Located at the junction of Highway 7 and 11^th Street and open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• East – Highway 5 Compost Depot:  Located off Highway 5 by the junction of Highway 41 and Zimmerman Road and open Thursday to Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 The following materials are NOT accepted at the compost depots:  elm wood, sawdust, lumber (treated and untreated), wood chips, mulch, building materials, or any other waste product.  In accordance with the Dutch Elm Disease Regulations, elm branches, limbs, logs, or stumps must be taken to the landfill for disposal.

 Public Works crews are working proactively to keep the water flowing into the storm sewer system, which can easily carry all of the flow resulting from any snowmelt.  Crews continue to monitor critical intersections, ditches, ponds, and culverts and are ready with equipment for emergency situations.

 Residents are asked to call Public Works Customer Service at 306-975-2476 to report gravel-filled utility cuts that require maintenance, hazardous potholes, or catch basins that are not draining.

 To view a video about spring melting conditions, visit www.saskatoon.ca and search “snow melt.”

 For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW

BROADWAY AVE NB CLOSED FROM MAIN ST TO 10TH ST E
(Irrigation line repair)
Start: April 28, 9:00 a.m. End: April 28, 5:00 p.m.

MILLAR AVE NB CLOSED FROM 43RD ST TO 45TH ST
(Connection repair)
2-way traffic in SB lanes
Start: April 28, 9:00 a.m. End: April 28, 6:00 p.m.

IDYLWYLD DR N SB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANE CLOSED AT 36TH ST W
(Ground water testing)
Start: April 28, 9:00 a.m. End: April 28, 6:00 p.m.

ONGOING

11TH ST W CLOSED FROM HIGHWAY 7 TO CHAPPELL DR
(Road Patching)
Rolling closure on 11th Street
Start: April 27, 8:00 a.m. End: April 28, 6:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR/HWY 16 EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED APPROACHING OVERPASS
(New bypass construction)
Start: April 27, 9:00 a.m. End: May 8, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

Beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 3 Saskatoon’s iconic University Bridge will close to the general public for repairs. The necessary four-month rehabilitation project will ensure the 100 year old bridge continues to serve commuters for many years to come.

“We know this project is going to have a significant impact on traffic flow in our City but we have done a lot of planning to try to minimize traffic disruption, for example, adjustments to traffic signals on detour routes, suggested alternate routes and advanced signage,” says Rob Frank, Engineering Manager for Asset Preservation. “The contractor will begin moving equipment into the area this week before starting work on Sunday. As we’ve been saying, we know this is a pain in the asphalt, however, this necessary work will ensure the safety and longevity of this important piece of infrastructure.”

The bridge will be closed to regular vehicle traffic for the entirety of the bridge rehabilitation project.  A single lane of traffic will remain open for emergency vehicles, Saskatoon Transit buses, Saskatoon Health Region authorized vehicles and school buses contracted by the Saskatoon School Boards only. A single walkway will also remain open at all times during construction. Non-authorized vehicles that attempt to use the bridge during the closure may be subject to a $90 fine.

Reroute Your Commute:

The following will be the most efficient routes from each quadrant of the City to cross the river during construction:

Northwest to the University – Use Circle Drive North Bridge > Preston Avenue
Northeast to Downtown – Use Circle Drive North Bridge > Warman Road
Southwest to the University – Use Circle Drive South Bridge > Circle Drive > College Drive
Southeast to Downtown – Use 8th Street or Circle Drive > Sid Buckwold Bridge

Traffic signals will be retimed to allow for a more efficient commute on 8th Street, 12th Street, Broadway Avenue, Idylwyld Freeway, 2nd Avenue, 4th Avenue, 25th Street, College Drive, Warman Road and Preston Avenue which will become busier as a result of the detours.

All Transit Routes and Access Transit Vehicles will operate as normal Monday to Friday. On weekends and holidays a shuttle bus will run every 15 minutes between the University of Saskatchewan, Place Riel Hub and the Downtown Terminal. More information is available at saskatoontransit.ca/bridge.

“There are many ways Saskatoon residents can help to minimize the impact including, taking the bus, carpooling, biking or walking,” says Frank. “It may also be an opportunity for employers to consider alternate work hours where possible, or coming up with options for ridesharing. If we work together we can ultimately reduce the traffic delays and allow for better movement of traffic in our city.”

The bridge is expected to reopen at the end of August. Visit saskatoon.ca/universitybridge for more information and for a look at the full Transportation Plan.

• On Saturday, nine sanders were on the road, applying salt and sand, as required.  Plows and contract graders joined them in the evening to keep the high-traffic streets clear until midnight when the snow appeared over.
• Another ten centimetres of snow fell early Sunday morning, and plows were out on Circle Drive, while contract graders attacked the other priority streets.
• The focus for Sunday is grading roads where melting snow is slower and trouble spots, such as busy intersections and corners, to keep roads in good winter driving condition.
• Street sweeping and pothole patching is currently on hold; watch for updated schedules.

•  2 speed plows on Circle Drive, pushing the slush of the centrelines and shoulders
• 1 belly plow – also sanding
• 4 PW graders on priority streets
• 12 contractor graders on priority streets.

• Saskatoon Light & Power and Parks crews are responding to reports of downed trees in power lines and other power line issues that are causing outages. 
• Power was restored in Queen Elizabeth, Holliston and City Park.
• Power Outage Service Alert Updates are available at saskatoon.ca-service-alert and on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert.
• Once the current issues are resolved, we do not anticipate further outages with the weather forecast.  Residents should call 306-975-2621 to report any downed lines or tree limbs in power lines.

• Reports of outages started this morning at 4:20 a.m. with the following affected: Avalon, Adelaide/Churchill, Nutana, Nutana Park, Holliston, Haultain, Mayfair, Westmount, Caswell Hill, Hudson Bay Park, Mount Royal, City Park and Queen Elizabeth.

• Heavy snow weighing down the power lines and broken trees were causing most of the outages. One line issue can affect parts of multiple neighbourhoods. 
• Crews were out working as quickly as possible to address each location, including tree trimming around lines.  Adelaide/ Churchill and Nutana Park were repaired and restored by 9 a.m.

• At approximately 4:40 p.m., 20 west-side neighbourhoods supplied by seven substations within the Saskatoon Light & Power service area experienced a power outage. 
• The outages affected traffic lights and many City operations and services, including the website and telephone servers, and the Saskatoon Landfill, which closed 15 minutes early at 5:15 p.m.
• Continuous timely updates were provided on the City’s Twitter and Facebook channels, which were shared by our followers in their networks, and used by news reporters for online and offline reporting to the general public.
• Three Saskatoon Light & Power crews worked as quickly as possible patrolling the lines in those areas to determine the cause.
• While the exact cause of the outages are not known, two weather-related incidents were discovered that may have overloaded the system, tripping the feed from the Queen Elizabeth Power Station that supplies the affected substations.  Heavy winds and frozen rain caused overhead lines along Preston Avenue to gallop (wave back & forth) and an insulator iced up at a separate location.
• These locations were isolated and repaired, and the substations were brought online beginning at 6:35, restoring power to the following neighbourhoods within 15 minutes: Central Industrial, City Park, Downtown, Holiday Park, Kelsey Woodlawn, King George, Meadowgreen, Montgomery, North Park, Pleasant Hill, Richmond Heights, Riversdale and Southwest Industrial.
• The Edmonton Avenue substation experienced a technical issue coming online, which delayed restoration until 7:30 p.m. for Airport Industrial, Caswell Hill, Hudson Bay Park, Mayfair, Mount Royal, Westmount and Westview.
• The website was online just after 9 p.m.; network system issues were resolved by 11 p.m. with access to Service Alerts for power and water outages.
• Later Saturday evening, another repair was required due to weather conditions, that required a substation to be restarted, resulting in a brief outage in Riversdale and parts Caswell Hill just before midnight.
• Without the website server, SL&P was unable to issue Power Outage Service Alerts, which are featured on the home page of the website and posted automatically on Twitter. 
• The City uses Service Alerts for timely notifications of unplanned service disruptions to Water, Power, Leisure Centres, Waste Collections, Landfill, Compost Depots, Road Restrictions, Street Sweeping schedules and Snow & Ice road maintenance. 
• The City’s mass notification system, NotifyNow, is currently only used for emergency situations to alert residents by geographical area where threats to life and safety exist.

• Buses are operating on Sunday reduced schedule, with no delays.
• Separately, issues are anticipated with the Online Trip Planner Sunday, April 26 only.  The following Route information may not display correctly for #1, 3-6, 17, 50, 60, 70 and 80. Passengers are asked to call our customer service centre at 306-975-3100 to confirm these routes (today only).

• While some facilities experienced power outages, no major interruptions were experienced.
• Facilities such as the Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant have back-up systems in place to prevent interruptions.

• While we accumulated 8-12 inches of snow, once it melts it compares to 20-30 mm of rain.  Given the forecast for low temperatures Sunday and Monday, this is expected to melt slowly over the next two or three days.  Our storm sewer system is designed to take in more than this, so we don’t anticipate any flooding beyond some localized ponding at a few intersections.

NEW

11TH ST W CLOSED FROM HIGHWAY 7 TO CHAPPELL DR
(Road Patching)
Rolling closure on 11th Street
Start: April 27, 8:00 a.m. End: April 28, 6:00 p.m.

SPADINA CRES SB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED UNDER UNIVERSITY BRIDGE
(Equipment setup)
Traffic maintained in all directions. University Bridge remains open.
Start: April 27, 9:00 a.m. End: April 27, 6:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR/HWY 16 EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED APPROACHING OVERPASS
(New bypass construction)
Start: April 27, 9:00 a.m. End: May 8, 5:00 p.m.

DIEFENBAKER DR EB CLOSED FROM PEARSON PL TO VANIER CRES
(Storm lead repair)
2 way traffic in WB lanes
Start: April 27, 9:00 a.m. End: April 27, 6:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.