SaskatchewanIcy road conditions appeared across southern Saskatchewan on Tuesday morning after a low pressure system moved in from Alberta. Travel was not recommended outside of Regina and all highways in and out of Estevan are closed due to ice.All highways in and out of Estevan closed due to ice on Tuesday morningListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline camera captured this image of Highway 39 near Estevan at 8:30 a.m. CST on Tuesday. Roads in the area were closed Tuesday morning due to the icy conditions. (Saskatchewan Highway Hotline)All highways around Estevan were closed Tuesday morning due to icy conditions, and travel was not recommended on many other roads in the areas south of Regina and Moose Jaw.The conditions were due to a low pressure storm system that began moving through the province on Monday night, bringing snow and freezing rain conditions.”We’ve had a lucky break so far, but winter’s finally here,” said Todd Massey, who had to pull over on his way to work at the Coronach power plant, about 160 kilometres southeast of Regina. He said that when he left Assiniboia at 5 a.m., the Highway Hotline showed the road as clear and dry, but that wasn’t the case by the time he got to the turnoff to head south on Highway 36. “The hill was such glare ice that even in four-wheel drive and neutral, you know, [you’re] sliding sideways down the hill,” he said in an interview. “You couldn’t get up the hill in either direction safely.”He said he pulled over at the bottom and waited about an hour until a sanding truck went by and he decided it was safe to try to make it up the other side.The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline, as of 6 a.m. CST, said all highways outside of Estevan were closed, and travel was not recommended outside of Regina due to icy conditions. (Chris Edwards/CBC)The latest road conditions are at the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline website.Slow down for first responders, tow trucksLona Gervais, a senior communications specialist for CAA, advised drivers to also check their weather apps frequently, because conditions can change.”Remember to slow down on ice and snow. Don’t follow other vehicles too close,” she said. She’s expecting to hear some calls for winches, if drivers are going in the ditch, and reminded drivers to be careful around emergency vehicles.”If you see a tow truck or a first responder, ambulance, police car, [or] a snow plow, it’s a really good idea to slow down to 60 km/h, if you can slow down, and move over. But if you can’t safely do that, especially on a single-lane highway, then just absolutely slow down even below 60,” Gervais said. “We want to make sure that, you know, these first responders get home safely at the end of the day.”ABOUT THE AUTHORChris Edwards is a reporter at CBC Saskatchewan. Before entering journalism, he worked in the tech industry.
‘Winter’s finally here’: Icy roads reported in southern Saskatchewan
