REGINA — With the holidays right around the corner, remember to add the Highway Hotline to the top of your festive season checklist to help make an informed travel decision.
"As we embrace the holiday season, it's essential to thoughtfully plan your travels, particularly if you're hitting the road to celebrate with friends, family, and loved ones throughout our great province," Highways Minister Lori Carr said. "The Highway Hotline is a valuable resource, offering crucial information to help you decide whether to extend your stay or allocate extra time to ensure a safe and timely arrival to your destinations."
The Highway Hotline operates around the clock, seven days a week throughout the winter months, ensuring regular updates to keep the public informed.
With over 26,000 kilometres of highways in Saskatchewan, the Highway Hotline staff receive road condition updates from snowplow operators as they clear snow from our highways.
Drivers are reminded to stay back and stay safe near snowplows, which create a mini blizzard. For the safety of all drivers and the safety of equipment operators, it's important to be cautious around snowplows, which pull over when safe to do so every 10 to 15 kilometres to let motorists pass.
The Highway Hotline can be downloaded as a smartphone app available for free in the Google and Apple online stores, accessed at www.saskatchewan.ca/highwayhotline or by calling 511.
Highways are prioritized for snow removal and ice treatment based on their classification and traffic volumes. More information about winter maintenance activities can be found at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/transportation/highways/highway-safety/winter-safety.
Motorists can also play a role in winter driving safety by viewing and sharing the newest Highway Hotline and Snow Zone videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe3eRil6A0in2COp372K5rvlO-e3gmA1z.
