Just in time for Mother Nature to dust Saskatchewan roads with snow and ice, Saskatchewan's Highway Hotline kicked into full gear this week to provide road information services to motorists.
"The people of Saskatchewan have confidence in the information the hotline provides and more and more people are using it each year," Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris said. "In Saskatchewan, road conditions can rapidly change so motorists are checking in frequently."
The total number of visits to the Highway Hotline website increased 161 per cent to 3.4 million last year (April 2012 - March 2013), up from about 1.3 million the year before and well ahead of the five-year average of 1.1 million visitors annually. In addition, there were more than 600,000 phone calls to the hotline. March's severe weather led to all sorts of activity for the Highway Hotline's social media accounts, including 1.1 million web visits and more than 177,000 phone inquiries.
Information on the Highway Hotline is compiled from observations made by Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure staff. Information provided may be subject to rapidly changing weather or other events. Motorists need to be aware of this and operate their vehicles safely based on road conditions.
For the Highway Hotline's latest available Saskatchewan road conditions, visit hotline.gov.sk.ca or for recorded reports, phone 306-787-7623 in the Regina area, 306-933-8333 in the Saskatoon area or 1-888-335-7623 toll-free across Canada.
The Highway Hotline continues to use social media. For road closures and travel not recommended alerts on Twitter, follow @SKGovHwyHotline. General tips and other helpful information are available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Saskatchewan HighwayHotline.
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