SASKATOON – While the unseasonably warm weather may feel pretty nice, it has kept Saskatoon city crews busy tackling icy road conditions. Officials say this winter ice management has been the top priority as opposed to snow removal in years past.
Crews have had more money to work with this winter after city council approved additional funding in December.
So far, 20,000 tonnes of sand have been used on roadways along with 4,500 tonnes of pre-mix sand applied.
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But the mild weather still presents its own set of challenges.
“The roads are in good shape during the day and then at nighttime, because of the standing water that’s on the roadways or the precipitation that we’ve received where we’ve had freezing conditions at night and then the next morning commute it creates a bit of a problem,” said Pat Hyde, the city’s director of public works.
“So we’ve had to put a really heavy emphasis on nighttime sanding to make sure that come morning time we have the roads ready to go for the morning commute.”
Officials say it’s too soon to predict this year’s pothole season but less snow means less standing water and therefore less likelihood potholes will form.
Meaghan Craig contributed to this story
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