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All highways shut down earlier Friday have now reopened to traffic as winds whipped snow around, causing poor road conditions.
Authorities say closures are due to poor winter driving conditions, due to blowing snow and poor visibility in the area and note that closure gates and/or variable message signs may not be present at closure locations.
Drivers are reporting that traffic at Highway 1 westbound is at a standstill.
“It’s absolutely a whiteout, I can see the vehicle in front of me but I can also see the vehicles beside and they’re all parked and we’re not going anywhere,” Gord Gage told Global News, while stuck on Highway 1 just past Headingley, Man.
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“It’s pretty ugly out here.”
Cars stranded on Highway 1 with snow drifts forming between the cars.
Gord Gage
For real time updates, motorists are asked to check Manitoba 511 before stepping out.
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The City of Winnipeg has also closed the landfill and the recycling depot at the Brady Road Resource Management Facility due to the weather conditions. The city says recycling and garbage collection has been suspended, as a result.
The facility is expected to reopen Saturday morning and residents with collection days on Friday who have not had their garbage or recycling collected are being asked to put their carts out before 7 a.m. Saturday.
Environment Canada has issued a yellow advisory for blowing snow for all of southern Manitoba. Wind gusts of over 80km are expected. Some drivers tell 680 CJOB they were stuck on highways late Friday morning due to visibility so poor they could not see the road.
Conditions are expected to improve from northwest to southeast in the afternoon and evening hours, but Environment Canada advises postponing non-essential travel until then.
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