Snow removal crews, which have been busy this winter, are still at work today in the Battlefords, Meadow Lake and beyond. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Driving/walking hazard

Snow removal efforts still underway on uneven, slick roads

Feb 11, 2022 | 5:06 PM

Snow removal efforts continue in the Battlefords and Meadow Lake, after light snowfall overnight and this morning.

A centimetre or two landed in most areas, as temperatures dropped below -10 C. Both communities held around -15 C for most of the afternoon, though sunlight minimized a wind chill of below -20 C.

One example of parking lots left wildly uneven after warm temperatures on Thursday. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

The greater issue has been roads where significant amounts of snow melted and froze, creating uneven ground at intersections, parking lots and drive ways. Stewart Schafer, North Battleford’s Director of City Operations, said crews have already spent hours trying to clear streets and sidewalks, as well as water crews getting rid of large areas where water has built up.

“We’ve got everyone we can working on it,” he said. “We’ve even started doing pothole repairs. This is when they come out, during freeze-thaw cycles.”

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There are still some bad stretches throughout the community and Schafer said they’ve had to pull people from other departments to help. If it worsens again over the weekend, they’ll have crews out as necessary.

“We’re getting there as fast as we can,” he said. “If you’re going outside, be careful, it is slippery.”

Over the past two days, the City of Meadow Lake have had similar issues with melting snow and light rain freezing over, amid a winter where they’ve gone over budget on snow removal. Over the next two evenings, there’s a possibility of a few more centimetres falling in the area.

Schafer said North Battleford hasn’t gone over budget, but added that this has been a strange year regarding snowfall.

“Last year we had one major snow and this year we’ve had so much that we all feel like we’ve had enough,” he said.

Next week, Schafer said crews will start working on windrows across the City, which are getting big enough to impede traffic.

Friday evening to Saturday morning, conditions will cool once again, with mostly cloudy skies temperatures will hang around the seasonal average until Sunday. Saturday’s conditions will feel chillier thanks to gusts of wind that could reach 50 km/h in Meadow Lake. By Sunday afternoon, the risk of melt and freeze will return, with a possibility of getting to a high of 1 C in both areas.

For motorists traveling in and out of communities, you can get updates at Environment Canada and Highway Hotline before leaving.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW