Some work is underway in the far north to prepare for the opening of winter roads.
Steve Shaheen, senior communications consultant with the Ministry of Highways said workers have been doing some work on land where possible.
“The first 50 kilometers from Stony to Shasko Bay is actually overland, so they’re starting to pack snow there, but it will still take some time and obviously some more snow,” he said.
The province builds and maintains a number of winter and ice roads in Saskatchewan’s far north. Shaheen explained most years the ice roads open up in February and are generally open into March and sometimes are open into early April. He added the overall time frame can change depending on weather.
“If we get a big cold spell, it certainly would probably move the date up quite a bit, but, its usually that time, that month of February that we see them open,” he said.
Besides the work to pack down snow on land, Shaheen said workers are as well keeping watch over ice conditions, the ministry will be keeping the public informed about their progress.
“Crews are always keeping an eye on things and as things progress we’ll let you folks and the citizens know,” he said.