SASKATOON — Snow crews have hauled 102,000 truckloads of snow to the city’s three snow storage sites – enough to fill Saskatoon’s tallest building — the 18-storey Nutrien Tower at River Landing — 8.5 times, or 2.16 million green carts.
City crews have been working to clear snow piles accumulated during the first half of winter from nearly every street seven weeks after starting on local neighbourhood streets — aiming at improving sight lines, clearing sidewalks and opening on-street parking spaces.
The city is thanking all residents for their patience and cooperation during Saskatoon's most considerable snow removal undertaking. The city says it was an even more enormous task than after the November 2020 snowstorm because there was much more snow on the streets.
The new Roadways Emergency Response Plan was implemented for the first time, laying out the grading and snow removal activities in five phases prioritizing public safety and mobility.
The city’s administration will present a summary report of how it went to the City Council in the coming months for review and discussion.
The city-wide snow removal is an enormous undertaking that requires more equipment and people than is typically used in an average winter.
- Every 24 hours, the following equipment and people were working: 32 graders, 14 loaders, four industrial snow blowers, 150 triaxle and tandem trucks for hauling, 12 skid steers, eight arrow-board trucks, plus seven bulldozers and four loaders pushing snow at three snow storage sites.
About 250 people worked on a typical day, including 30 crew members putting up signs, day and night.
- Snow crews graded, picked up and hauled 49,000 tandem truckloads of snow from priority streets and another 53,000 truckloads from local roads for 102,000 truckloads this winter.
Despite spring officially starting in three weeks, the city says completing snow removal was necessary due to the amount of snow that had accumulated to prevent rutting, make space for more snowfalls, collect debris and sand and reduce ponding during snow melt.
Learn more about the Roadways Emergency Response Plan at saskatoon.ca/snow.
