CREWS BATTLE STORM, WORK HARD TO KEEP HIGHWAYS SAFE

Released on February 11, 2004

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation snowplow crews and Highway Hotline staff were out in full force Tuesday working hard to keep motorists safe in the wake of a severe winter storm.

Snow, blowing snow, ice conditions and zero visibility made highway driving treacherous across Saskatchewan resulting in numerous highway closures. The majority occurred in the southern two-thirds of the province, including all highways in and out of Regina, Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Prince Albert and more highways in the Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Kindersley, Swift Current, Carlyle, Weyburn and Yorkton areas.

The Highway Hotline received more than 45,500 web page hits and phone calls over the course of the storm.

Snowplow crews were out on the primary and secondary highway system as soon as visibility improved to 200 metres, working throughout the night to improve driving conditions as quickly as possible. Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation has 400 winter maintenance staff working out of 85 locations throughout the province.

"Our winter maintenance crews are to be commended," Highways and Transportation Minister Mark Wartman said. "Throughout this storm these men and women have worked for the safety of the motoring public, and provided invaluable assistance to police and emergency vehicles on scene at accidents."

Regina-based snowplow operators Jim Waddell and Casey Lawford led the way for RCMP and EMS crews to the scene of the 40-50 car pile-up on the westbound lane of Highway 1 near Balgonie yesterday. They continued to lead approximately 100 vehicles safely into Pilot Butte, and upon returning to the scene, further assisted RCMP by checking abandoned vehicles for people still inside.

Fort Qu'Appelle snowplow operators Clarence Hilliar and Grant Melnychuk were also dispatched to the accident scene near Balgonie. Hilliar led the way to Regina for a Grey Hound bus that had been converted to an ambulance loaded with injured passengers, and Melnychuk assisted RCMP and EMS on the east side of the accident.

Regina's Kim Lupichuk monitored the Highway 1 East road closure to prevent traffic from attempting to leave the city, keeping watch throughout the night until 6 a.m. today.

"I would like to personally thank these Highways and Transportation employees for their extraordinary efforts to provide assistance at the scene of the multi-vehicle accident on Highway 1," Wartman said. "I am sure there are many examples of this kind of dedication in our employees throughout the province."

Snowplowing will continue today, with salt and sand crews on road as soon as temperatures permit effective ice removal. If the weather conditions remain stable, primary and secondary highways should be in good winter driving condition by Friday.

Road closures are still in effect and driving is not recommended in many areas of the province. For information about highway conditions visit our web site at www.highways.gov.sk.ca or call the Highway Hotline at the following numbers:

Regina City and surrounding area: (306) 787-7623
Saskatoon City and surrounding area: (306) 933-8333
Toll-free for all other areas of the Province: 1-888-335-7623
SaskTel Cellular Network: *ROAD (7623)

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For More Information, Contact:

Doug Wakabayashi Highways and Transportation Regina Phone: (306)787-4805 Email: dwakabayashi@highways.gov.sk.ca