The Highway Hotline suggests postponing all unnecessary travel and checking the highway hotline regularly for updates on road conditions (Screenshot/Highway Hotline)

By Rachel May

Snowy Highways

How to get the most out of the Highway Hotline

Nov 17, 2021 | 11:56 AM

The Highway Hotline is giving tips on how to use the app correctly when planning for your winter road trips.

After yet another snowstorm, Saskatchewan residents across the northeast are having to replan their road trips due to poor road conditions.

Brayden Park, a Hotline clerk, said there are symbols all travellers should be watching for on the Highway Hotline website.

“When there are conditions on a particular road, it will show up as either yellow, white or red,” Park said.

The yellow highway line represents winter conditions which can include icy, slippery sections or swirling snow.

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When travel is not recommended the highway will appear as a white line. These driving conditions are considered dangerous with less than 200 metres of visibility, icy surfaces and/or the highway may be blocked.

If there is a complete road closure, the highway will appear as a red line. This indicates the entire highway or multiple sections are impassable due to extreme and/or rapidly changing conditions.

“If there is a red circle with a line through it that means there is a closure due to an incident,” Park explained. “It’s not the entire highway, it’s just at the point where the marker is.”

Travellers are encouraged to map out their entire trip on the Highway Hotline prior to leaving their homes.

The Highway Hotline employees are constantly out checking the roads and giving travellers the most up to date information.

“We have a regional breakdown, our regional districts go from the southern region to the central region to our northern region,” Park added. “Within those regions there are sections. Our sections update their specific roads and we update our website based on what they see.”

As the Hotline coordinates with RCMP, travellers are encouraged to call their local detachment to report a collision, a broken-down car or a car in the ditch to help keep the Highway Hotline up to date.

The Hotline wants to encourage all travellers to follow the following safety tips during the winter months.

• Before travelling check the Highway Hotline for up to date information about road conditions.
• Consider delaying unnecessary travel when road conditions are poor.
• Do not pass snowploughs on the highway.
  • Snowploughs are instructed to pull over every 10-15 kilometres to all for travellers to pass them safely.

For up to date information about highways in Saskatchewan, visit the Highway Hotline website.

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Rachel.May@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RachelMayFM