Travel not recommended on some highways around Regina

The storm that started pounding southeastern Saskatchewan on Wednesday was still affecting highways Thursday, including some around Regina.

Just before 4:30 p.m., the Highway Hotline said travel wasn’t recommended on the Regina Bypass and on the Trans-Canada Highway from the Queen City to Moosomin.

The Highway Hotline earlier advised against travel on Highway 11 from Regina to Lumsden.

In addition to the travel-not-recommended advisory on Highway 1 east of Regina, the Trans-Canada has been closed all day from Moosomin to the Manitoba border.

Travel also wasn’t recommended on:

• Highway 8 from Highway 22 south to Highway 13;
• Highway 9 from the Trans-Canada south to Highway 48;
• Highway 10 from Balgonie to Balcarres;
• Highway 22 from Dysart to the junction with Highway 35;
• Highway 35 from Fort Qu’Appelle to Lipton and between highways 10 and 48;
• Highway 47 from Highway 247 south to just north of Stoughton;
• Highway 48 from Highway 47 to the Manitoba border;
• Highway 56 north of Indian Head;
• Highway 308 from Highway 8 to the Manitoba border;
• Highway 310 between highways 10 and 15; and,
• Highway 364 north of Balgonie.

The Highway Hotline said there was loose, drifting and swirling snow on the roads, which was reducing visibility.

Kevin Weedmark, editor and publisher of the Moosomin World Spectator, said the storm and its early warning prompted a different approach to highways by Manitoba — an early announcement that the Trans-Canada and most highways in the southern part of the province would be closed once the storm began.

Weedmark said Moosomin is often a place people stop because of its close proximity to Manitoba, and because the neighbouring province is often quicker to close its highways than Saskatchewan, which can leave travellers stranded this side of the border.

Historically, people have continued travelling across the border to Virden where they’ve had to stop or turn around because of highway closures.

“With that advance warning, I think people just haven’t been travelling and haven’t been caught in the storm,” Weedmark said.

As a result, he said RCMP told him there weren’t any incidents over the past two nights along the highway.