Road Reports

— UPDATE —

Highway 17 has been reopened.

— Original Story — 

For the second straight day, Highway 17 between Highway 71 and Vermilion Bay has been closed due to poor road conditions.

There is no word on when the highway will reopen.

Click here to check the current road conditions on the Fix Auto Road Report page and if you see anything on the roads that we should know about, call or text us on the Sounds and Systems Talk and Text Line at 807-468-4487.

— Update —

Highway has been reopened.

— Original Story —

Both lanes of Highway 17, between Highway 105 and Highway 71, have been closed due to weather conditions.

There is no word on when the highway will reopen.

As of 3:06 p.m., there is still no word on when the highway will reopen according the 511Ontario twitter page. 

The eastbound lane of Highway 17A, the Kenora Bypass, has been closed near the Redditt Road due to a jackknifed tractor-trailer.

--- UPDATE ---

Highway 17 was reopened overnight but has since been closed due to winter conditions between HWY 71 and HWY 105.

--- Original Story ---

Highway 17 has been closed in both directions due to a jackknifed transport east of Kenora.

The incident took place 10 kilometres east of Highway 71 and has resulted in the closure of Highway 17 from ENT (S) to the rest area, according to Ontario 511.

There is no word on when the highway will fully open.

Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for the areas of Kenora, Whitedog, Grassy Narrows, Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Ignace, and English River. 

Temperatures are expected to be between minus 26 degrees and minus 36, with windchill values between minus 40 and 45 degrees. 

The extreme cold warning is expected tonight and into Wednesday morning. 

2022 has rung in with extreme cold temperatures for the region. 

Hazard:
Minimum temperatures of -29 to -33 degrees Celsius.
Wind chill values near minus 40.

When:
This morning and again tonight into Sunday morning for most areas.

Impacts:

— UPDATE —

Highway 17 has been reopened.

— Original Story —

Highway 17 has been closed at Longbow Lake Road following a collision near distance marker 84 near Link Lake.

Traffic control is in place and delays can be expected.

There is no word on injuries or when the highway will reopen.

--- Update ---

The extreme cold warning has ended.

--- Original Story ---

An extreme cold warning has been issued for the region as temperatures near minus 33 degrees celsius with wind chill values of near minus 40 are expected early this morning.

One lane has been reopened. Motorist should expect delays.

— Original Story —

Highway 17 has been closed in both directions just east of Ignace following a collision.

There is no word on injuries.

Traffic controls are in place.

Highway 17 is now open between Dryden and Ignace due to poor road conditions. 

The highway was closed since roughly midnight and reopened around 5:30am. 

Drivers are reminded to drive with extreme caution as a winter storm passed through Northwestern Ontario in the last couple of days. Local roads and highways are quite slick with reduced visibility in some areas. 

Motorists can expect delays near Vermilion Bay as the eastbound lane of Highway 17 will be closed for vehicle removal near Hanslip's Road and Nelson Granite. Traffic control in place. 

A winter travel advisory has been issued by Environment Canada as 5-10 cm of snow is expected to fall Monday.

The weather agency says, "poor weather conditions may contribute to transportation delays. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop."

The affected areas include Highway 17 from Shabaqua to Kenora and Highway 11 from Shabaqua to Rainy River.