Saskatoon’s General Manager of Transportation & Construction gave an update on snow clearing Monday, reporting most residential streets are complete and 90% of industrial areas are done.

Crews have returned to streets that were missed or where problem areas exist and will continue to do so over the coming days.

Terry Schmidt says if there are trouble spots still left around the city, they will take reports and send an inspector out in order to prioritize the work needed. He explains the city has put together smaller crews to handle these spots and the inspections help them to plan what kind of equipment is needed in order to get snow cleared as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Schmidt says to put the snow storm into context, the highest one-day snowfall in November on record is 19.1 cm set on November 19, 1946. This year’s snowstorm saw combined snowfall totals in the 35 to 38 cm range. The storm in 2007 saw about 35 cm of snow.

Snow removal is now underway in the Downtown BID and Riversdale BID and when this work is complete will move to 33rd Street, Broadway and Sutherland.

Work is planned to start in the coming days on removal of snow ridges on boulevards and medians on priority streets to provide storage space for snow, improve sight-lines and mitigate against drifting for future snow events.

All three snow disposal sites are operating 24-hours a day. It is estimated the three sites will have sufficient storage for this winter season but back-up sites are being explored if required to accommodate additional large snow storms.

The city reports early estimates for snow grading and removal, sanding, salting and de-icing costs for this event are expected to exceed the 2020 Snow and Ice Service Line budget by$10.0 million. This includes residential snow management that was announced in response to the vast snow fall including drifts and ice.