REGINA — As heavy snow buries Regina, the city is starting snow-clearing efforts.
Daryl Massier, City of Regina roadways seasonal operations manager, said Regina has deployed its storm mode as roughly six cm of snow has fallen as of 1 p.m.
“[We] try to keep our major roads drivable by plowing snow and applying ice control to those high-risk intersections. For such things as the high-speed roads, routes with the highest traffic volumes, emergency routes, and those outlying areas that are prone to drifting around the city.”
The city is currently focused on solely Category 1 roads, which include Ring Roads, Albert Street and Lewvan Drive, but could expand its systematic plows depending on the next few days.
“Once we're finished the Category 1 roads, we'll definitely need to do a reassessment and see if it's already started melting or if those roads need to be done. Of course, safety is always our main concern, and we'll judge from there once we're done with those Category 1 roads.”
As for neighbourhood roads, Massier said the city doesn’t expect those roads to be plowed.
“We definitely won't do a residential plow with the forecast being what it is for the weekend.”
Environment Canada is forecasting highs of 2 C on Saturday and 4 C on Sunday. Monday will then warm up drastically to 13 C.
With the potential risk of flooding in areas, Massier said the city would prioritize clearing storm drains.
The city is also expecting not to declare any snow routes.
As winter nears its end, the city will observe the weather forecast for when to end its seasonal winter operations.
