High number of calls for help during icy road conditions on Tuesday

We are being asked to check road conditions before hitting the highways. 

Springfield Police Constable Jesse Zillman says icy roads on Tuesday caused many vehicles to hit the ditch or crash into other vehicles. 

“There were a few minor collisions that unfortunately we couldn’t attend because we had our hands pretty full with the more serious collisions,” he says. 

Although police were unable to provide details about the crashes, Zillman says two collisions occurred at the intersection of Garven Road and Highway 59. Police also responded to a jackknifed semi on the Trans-Canada Highway, just east of Deacon's Corner, where the highway was described as being a "skating rink."

As we transition from winter weather to warmer temperatures, Zillman says we can expect some ice on the roads. 

“Pay attention, if you are going to be travelling, to the Manitoba 511 app,” he adds. “We have a lot of people driving on roads that are considered to be closed.” 

Zillman says there simply isn’t enough manpower to physically close off all access points onto highways that are closed during weather events, such as Tuesday’s blowing snow and icy conditions. 

“Driving on a closed road could endanger our emergency crews that are working,” he says. 

We can expect warm and sunny weather during the daytime this week and cooling off at night. The forecast is also calling for windy conditions.