The Highway Hotline is a critical part of pre-trip planning for Saskatchewan drivers. The Hotline received more than 14 million visits last year, which shows how vital it is to the people who use the province’s highways.
The Highway Hotline has existed for more than 50 years and continually evolves to better serve the people of Saskatchewan. What once started off as a phone service now offers information to people through a mobile app and website.
A staff of 16 employees run the Highway Hotline during the winter months 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They take calls from the equipment operators to update information in the system about our highways.
The Hotline provides information on highway conditions, road closures, construction zones, ferries, over-dimensional hauls and border crossings. The Ministry of Highways has installed over 50 cameras across the highway network that drivers can use to see road conditions first hand. The Hotline even allows drivers to track the most recent, two-hour progress of snow removal and ice treatment done by snowplows in their area. All these tools provide valuable information to drivers to help them make informed decisions to ensure their safety.
About 300 provincial snowplows and other winter maintenance equipment serve Saskatchewan's highway network of more than 26,000 kilometres. Provincial roads are regularly inspected by equipment operators to determine if plowing, salting or sanding is required. The equipment operators report conditions to update the Highway Hotline, which can be downloaded as a smartphone app, accessed at www.saskatchewan.ca/highwayhotline or by calling 511. Motorists are reminded to download the latest version of the app to take advantage of the newest available features.
During winter driving season, road conditions are updated a minimum of four times daily or whenever there are known changes that affect drivers.
What’s New?
The Highway Hotline’s most recent evolution was to update the terminology it uses to describe winter driving conditions.
These new terms are clearer and more concise. They help drivers make more informed decisions about winter travel. The new language is also more consistent with neighbouring provinces, which will make using the Hotline easier for people travelling across Western Canada.
The new primary conditions include:
| Condition | Legend | Description | Image |
| Bare (Dry/Wet) |
 |
All wheels of a passenger vehicle are on a bare surface. |  |
| Partly Covered |  |
Two wheels of a passenger vehicle are on a snow- or ice-covered surface. |  |
| Covered |  |
All wheels of the vehicle are on snow or ice. |  |
| Travel Not Recommended |  |
Visibility is less than 250 metres and/or could become impassable. |  |
| Closed |  |
The highway is impassable. |  |
White is no longer used for any conditions as it did not show up well on digital maps. The map will continue to indicate poor visibility using a dotted line.
The Heart of the Hotline
At the heart of all the changes over the last decade is Lana Eering, the Highway Hotline Manager.
“You couldn’t ask for a more caring and compassionate person to run the Highway Hotline,” Larry Young, Executive Director of Operation Standards said. “She truly cares about the people of Saskatchewan and ensuring they have the information they need to travel safely.”
Most positions with the Highway Hotline are seasonal. You would think these positions would be difficult for the Ministry of Highways to fill, but they aren’t. Most years, Lana has many staff returning because they like her as a manager and the team environment.
Lana is well respected and adored by her co-workers and staff. As a manager, she ensures the Highway Hotline staff have the tools and support they need to do their work to the best of their ability. She makes time for her staff and coworkers and makes them feel needed and special.
“Lana is one of the most caring, loving, professional people I know,” Chris Bauck, Supervisor of Operations said. “Whenever I deal with anyone at the Highway Hotline, you can tell they were trained by Lana, because they are as awesome as she is. If the world had more Lana's around, it would be the best possible world we could ask for.”
Thank you, Lana, from everyone at Highways for your dedication to safety and the Highway Hotline.