Slippery roads, heavy snow keep City of Saskatoon busy

Slick conditions continue on Saskatoon roads and drivers are being asked to be careful.

According to Environment Canada, 17 centimetres of snow had fallen on the city as of 6 p.m. CST Wednesday. With even more snow falling overnight and freezing conditions, police are warning drivers to give themselves extra time to arrive at their destinations.

"In a word, it's just messy," said CBC reporter Dan Zakreski during Thursday morning's commute. "The streets are driveable, but this is just not going to be an auto-pilot commute. You have to pay attention out there."

City crews, meanwhile, spent the day sanding priority streets in an attempt to remove as much ice as possible. As usual, they focused on freeways like Idylwyld Drive and Circle Drive, as well as busy streets like Broadway Avenue and Fairlight Drive.

There were 14 graders, six plows, five sanders and five sidewalk plows used in the effort, as well as private contractors.

Crews were forced to plow roads in outlying areas of the city Wednesday night, as snow was blowing in and covering streets. Since then, they've returned to their regular schedule.

Neighbourhoods across Saskatoon experienced power outages that lasted throughout Wednesday as a result of snow and wind. All power was restored by 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Heavy snow was also taking a toll on trees, with at least 38 reports of damage.

Even with the layer of snow on the ground, the city is still planning to do its fall sweep program. However, it has been delayed by one week. It's now tentatively scheduled to start Monday, Oct. 17.