Construction season is well underway in Saskatchewan, and that means drivers need to be on alert as they encounter these zones on both highways and city streets.
"It starts with just understanding that you're going to be encountering construction zones wherever you go," said SGI Spokesperson Tyler McMurchy. "It's difficult to avoid while we're in the full swing of construction season, and we want to do what we can as motorists to look out for the people who are working in those work zones, make sure that they get home safely and we get where we're going safely as well without any incidents."
McMurchy said the main message is to slow down.
"Essentially when you see orange, slow down. And knowing that when you're on a highway you'll have to reduce your speed to usually 60 kilometres per hour or whatever the posted speed limits indicate. And the consequences for failing to do so are quite expensive," McMurchy said.
"In maybe a more municipal setting, if you're passing through a construction zone, maybe there's a little less space to operate, speeds will have to come down even farther," McMurchy continued. "But in either of those circumstances, slowing down, following the directions of signage and any flag person or any of the workers that are providing direction to traffic is very important."
There's also other hazards drivers should be aware of, McMurchy said.
"Drivers will want to watch out for the fact that there may be lane reductions, there may be equipment or sharp pavement drops," McMurchy said. "There could be loose stones or broken pavement or fresh oil that could compromise your traction if you're travelling too fast through that construction zone."
"All of these are great reasons to slow down and watch your speed and follow the direction of the signage that you encounter."
McMurchy added that it's also important for drivers to embrace zipper merging in construction zones.