REGINA — The City of Regina has begun its annual spring street sweeping program, a city-wide effort aimed at clearing thousands of tonnes of sand, debris and winter buildup from roads before it ends up in storm drains and waterways.
For Tyler Bien, manager of Sweeping and Alleys with the city, the work is more than routine maintenance. It is the turning point between seasons.
“The city spring sweep is kind of the kickoff to summer starting right,” Bien explained. “The winter’s over and everything’s melting, and we gotta clean the city up to make it nice and beautiful for everybody to enjoy over the summer.”
The program, which runs for roughly 10 weeks depending on weather conditions, is a critical part of Regina’s transition out of winter. Crews are now in the first phase of operations, focusing on major roadways, boulevards and high-traffic areas across the city.
That includes key corridors like Albert Street and Lewvan Drive, along with dense neighbourhoods such as Harbour Landing, the General Hospital area, downtown, and Cathedral.
City crews will be working extended hours, up to 20 hours a day, five days a week, in an effort to remove the heavy accumulation of sand, leaves and debris left behind after months of snow clearing and ice control.
Why street sweeping matters more than it seems
While the work may appear routine, it plays a major role in protecting infrastructure and the environment.
“City street sweeping consists of basically cleaning all the sand and gravel and grime from the winter off the city streets, boulevards and sidewalks,” Bien said. “To enhance the road safety for the users as well as make it nice and less dusty for everybody for the summer months.”
During winter, Regina uses large amounts of sand and grit to improve traction on icy roads. Without spring cleanup, that material can wash into storm drains during rain events, increasing the risk of clogged systems, localized flooding and contamination of waterways.
Street sweeping also improves air quality by removing fine dust particles that would otherwise be kicked up by traffic, particularly in dry spring conditions.
Two phases, one city-wide effort
The sweeping program is divided into two phases, each designed to tackle different parts of the city.
“Phase one consists of us going out and sweeping all the material off of the different hardscape boulevards around the city,” Bien said. “Then we move on to our major arterial roads like Ring Road, Albert, Broad, Gordon, get those cleaned up and nice for everybody.”
After that work wraps up near the end of April, crews shift into neighbourhoods.
“After that’s completed, we move into our second phase of the spring sweep, and that’s where we go into the different residential areas of the city,” he added. “We go into all the different areas and sweep every street and every sidewalk in the city of Regina.”
That second phase typically runs into early June, completing the city-wide cleanup.
Inside the operation
Behind the scenes, the sweeping effort is a co-ordinated operation involving multiple types of equipment working in sequence.
“We have water trucks that wet down the street and all that gravel before we start actually sweeping it to try to help reduce the dust,” Bien said. “Then we use our trackless machines, the sidewalk machines, to sweep those sidewalks off.”
From there, street sweepers move in to collect the material, which is then hauled away by dump trucks.
“When we’re done, you shouldn’t see any more equipment, and the road should be nice and clean for everybody,” he said.
What residents need to know
During sweeping operations, temporary no-parking zones will be enforced in Phase One. Vehicles left in restricted areas may receive a $120 ticket and could be towed to ensure crews can complete their work efficiently.
“When we come in, if there are cars on the road during the first phase, there is the risk that if you do leave your car, it will get ticketed and towed off the street,” Bien said. “We do that to ensure that we can properly clean the street.”
In residential areas during Phase Two, enforcement is less strict, but co-operation still matters.
“We do rely on people not parking on the street,” he said. “It just adds up to a better product at the end.”
Residents are encouraged to plan ahead by using the city’s Sweep & Plow app or visiting Regina.ca/Sweep to check when crews will be in their area.
“That app, once you put your address in, it actually tells you when your area is scheduled to be swept,” Bien noted. “If there is any schedule changes, it will actually come through on that app also.”
Weather can also impact timelines.
“Our great weather here in Saskatchewan sometimes doesn’t really like to play nice,” he said. “So we do have to reschedule sweeping sometimes due to weather delays.”
City officials are also asking residents to stay cautious around crews and equipment.
“If you do happen to come upon our crew out sweeping, just make sure that you give them the room that they need to do their job,” Bien said. “Slow down. We’re out there trying to do a good job, so just give us room, be patient and we will get in and out as quick as possible.”
A sign of the season
Beyond the practical impact, the start of street sweeping signals a seasonal shift for Regina.
After months dominated by snow removal and winter maintenance, the focus now turns to cleanup, renewal and preparing the city for warmer months ahead.
And while the work may take weeks to complete, the result is something residents across Regina will notice immediately: cleaner streets, clearer roads and the unmistakable feeling that spring has arrived.
