Winter storm closes Highway 1 for several hours
Posted Mar 19, 2012 10:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
While Calgarians enjoyed spring-like weather Monday, a blast of winter in southeastern Alberta forced RCMP to close Highway 1 near Medicine Hat for nearly 5 hours.
RCMP re-opened the Trans-Canada in both directions from Dunmore, through Medicine Hat to the Saskatchewan border at about 8:30 PM but the highway remains closed at the border.
Constable Jeffrey waites tells 660News, several vehicles hit the ditch in the Medicine Hat area and while the storm may have moved north, they still aren’t recommending travel anywhere in the region.
Highway 9 between Youngstown, just east of Hanna and the Saskatchewan border is also closed and one listener says a number of motorists are stuck in Kindersley and Oyen with the truck stop parking lot and hotels in Oyen completely full.
RCMP say Highway 41 north of the Trans-Canada is in poor driving condition, while police in Provost have closed Highway 13 from Killam to the Saskatchewan boundary and Highway 41 from Wainwright to Consort.
In Saskatchewan, travel is not being advised around Swift Current, Leader, Hazlet and Lloydminster.
RCMP have also closed Highway 7 from Kindersley to the Alberta/Saskatchewan border.
Meanwhile, the blizzard caused a sort of ‘reverse snow day’ for students in the small community of Irvine.
They had to stay overnight at their school because of highway closures and school officials didn’t want parents venturing out to pick up their kids.
