Moose Jaw residents still digging out after recent snow storm

It’s been three days of digging for Moose Jaw residents after the friendly city got hit with between 15 and 20 centimetres of snow this week. Many are voicing their frustration with the state of their streets.

Neighbours have been working together to clear sidewalks and residential roads, while city crews have been clearing the high-priority streets since Monday.

“Those are, of course, the busiest streets in the city. You want to establish that network throughout the city so people can by and large get, with some ease, where they’re going in the city,” Moose Jaw director of engineering, Josh Mickleborough said.

“Residential streets are a lower priority.”

Taht has caused some residents to express their frustrations,  including Gavin Barter.

“There’s a lot of streets around here. I have to take my son to daycare and that hasn’t been plowed yet, so it’s hard to get around,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There's a lot of streets around here. I have to take my son to daycare and that hasn't been plowed yet, so it's hard to get around," he said.

Barter works at United Rentals and added not only has the snow impacted his ability to get around, it’s also had an impact on business.

“We haven’t been able to deliver — a lot of deliveries are out of town — but some of the in-town things have come to a halt,” Barter said.

As of Tuesday, crews have piled excess snow on Main Street from Oxford Street to Saskatchewan Street on the median, temporarily reducing traffic down to one lane. It’s expected to stay there until Sunday before being removed.

“We can relate to the frustration,” Mickleborough said. “We live here and we drive the streets too and it’s not fun driving around under fear of getting stuck.

“We also appreciate their patience. Our crews are out there, we’re working with the resources we’ve got to get those streets cleared.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We also appreciate their patience. Our crews are out there, we're working with the resources we've got to get those streets cleared."

There is some good news. Moose Jaw Transit has resumed operations on a modified schedule. Riders are being asked to use caution when boarding since some buses will not be able to pull up to the curb. Paratransit will also resume full operations on Thursday.

Priority 1 routes are expected to be completed Wednesday night with the exception of a small number of high-traffic areas. Those will be completed Thursday morning starting at 6 a.m.

In addition, city crews hope to begin clearing Priority 2 streets Thursday afternoon, in addition to finishing bus route clearing.