Some highway stretches reopen Sunday, but several Manitoba roads still closed due to poor driving conditions

Several stretches of highway reopened on Sunday afternoon, after at least a dozen Manitoba highways were forced to close earlier in the day as blowing snow created poor winter driving conditions. 

Manitoba 511 said Highway 1 has reopened between Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg as of about 6 p.m. on Sunday. The highway was closed just after 8 a.m. on Sunday between Winnipeg and Sidney, Man., located about 60 kilometres east of Brandon.

Provincial transport officials said the following roads have been reopened as of about 6 p.m. on Sunday:

Highway 1, from Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg Highway 2, from Hwy 100 to Hwy 34 Highway 13, from Hwy 1 to CarmanHighway 26, from St. Francis Xavier to Hwy 1 (near Portage la Prairie) Highway 52, from Highway 59 to MitchellHighway 59, from Highway 100 to St. MaloHighway 23, from Hwy 34 to Lowe FarmHighway 31, from Hwy 3 to U.S. BorderHighway 32, from Hwy 14 to U.S. BorderHighway 3, from Sperling to Crystal City

The following roads still remain closed as of Sunday evening due to limited visibility and wintry weather:

Highway 14, from Hwy 30 to Hwy 75Highway 23, from Lowe Farm to Hwy 59Highway 30, from Hwy 14 to U.S. BorderHighway 75, from Ste. Agathe to Winnipeg City LimitsHighway 75, from Ste. Agathe to U.S. BorderHighway 201, from Hwy 32 to Hwy 59 Hockey games cancelled

Hockey Winnipeg, the non-profit organization that manages youth hockey in the city, announced Sunday afternoon that all games requiring highway travel on Sunday were postponed due to weather and dangerous driving conditions.

Manitoba RCMP is reminding drivers that travelling on a closed highway is illegal and dangerous both for them and for emergency crews who may have to help them if a crash happens.

The RCMP encourage drivers to reconsider going out on the roads until conditions improve and if they have to be out, they should be very cautious because of deteriorating weather.

Dozens of trucks line up on the Trans-Canada Highway near Headingley after highways were closed in Manitoba due to snow (Rudi Pawlychyn/CBC)

Blowing snow led to the closure of several highways in the province earlier this week, including the Trans-Canada, where RCMP said there were multiple crashes. 

During Friday’s storm, Portage la Prairie issued 25 tickets to motorists for driving on a closed highway, with a minimum fine of $298 and two demerit points on a driver’s licence, police said.

Dozens of travellers were left stranded, some having to spend the night in community centres close to Highway 1 into the weekend.