REGINA — Road crews in Regina are already out and about in preparation for a winter storm headed for Saskatchewan, where severe wind and dangerous road conditions are anticipated.
Regina is currently under a blizzard warning from Environment Canada, expecting between five and 10 centimetres of snow paired with up to 90 kilometre per hour winds overnight.
Road conditions will likely become hazardous, said the warning, with reduced visibility and icy conditions.
Tyler Bien, the city’s manager of roadways and seasonal operations, said that crews have been on duty all day preparing for the oncoming weather.
“Our ice-control crews have been out all day, starting this morning at 6 a.m., pre-applying ice-control, sanding, getting ready for this storm,” said Bien.
City crews began preparing equipment for winter weather in October, said Bien, and up to 50 pieces of machinery are currently prepped and ready to respond to tonight’s storm.
Crews are operating on a 24/7 response schedule, as of Nov. 1, said Bien.
Contractors are also on standby to offer support tonight, for events that may require cleanup or electrical concerns caused by wind damage.
“We are currently in storm response mode,” said Bien. “We’re prepared for it, we’ve been preparing [and] it's no surprise when this comes in November to us.”
Plows, sanders, graders and electricians are on call to deal with emergency situations such as downed debris blocking roadways or damaged traffic lights, said Bien.
During the storm, priority attention will be given to high-speed and high-traffic roads in the city, said Bien.
“During a snow event, we work to keep the major roads drivable by plowing and also deploying ice control at many major intersections,” said Bien.
“Hopefully, through the night, we can keep those roads in a decent enough state and we can get everybody where they need to go in the morning.”
Whenever snowfall stops, Bien said plowing efforts will begin in areas with at least five centimetres of accumulation.
“When the snow stops falling or the blowing subsides, if there’s accumulation [then] we would trigger a systematic plow,” said Bien.
Crews would begin with Category One roads, including major arterial roads like Albert Street, Broad Street, Victoria Avenue, Lewvan Drive and Ring Road, before moving on to Category Two and Three.
A map of the snow and ice control priority system can be found on the City of Regina’s website.
The city landfill also closed early on Tuesday, due to the wind warnings issued for the region.
Bien said the city recommends avoiding being out on the roads tonight, or taking alternative public transport until weather conditions improve.
Residents are also encouraged to report severe wind damage or blocked roads to the city, to join a queue for response from the city.
