MONCTON,N.B. – Messy weather caused havoc across the province, closing highways and shutting schools.
Traffic was backed up for hours on a portion of TCH 2 between Moncton and Salisbury as road conditions rapidly deteriorated. The highway was eventually closed so that salt trucks could do their work.
Global News caught up with Nicole Barry just outside Salisbury where she said she spent hours at a complete stand still.
“The road conditions were deplorable,” Donna Collins said. “We were stuck in traffic for an hour and a half at a dead stop. It was the craziest road conditions I’ve ever encountered.”
Ian Covey, a driver for Picaroon’s Brewery, was trying to get from Fredericton to Halifax.
“I was trapped for about four hours, stuck on the side of the road,” he said. “I swerved all around and eventually I just had to pull off on the side. The RCMP came and said stay where you are until the trucks go by.”
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In Saint John, high winds and rain caused poor visibility by the water and large waves whipped the coast of Saints Rest Beach.
“The wind is so strong. I mean it’s almost a hurricane,” Paul Harrison told Global News. “It’s gusting so strongly that it’s difficult to walk, but I still enjoy it.”
There were several trucks jackknifed along TCH 2, near the exit to Salisbury.
The RCMP put out several travel advisories throughout the day and at one point advised against travel between Oromocto, N.B. and Moncton.
They received 55 reports of crashes and vehicles off the road between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Cpl. Chantal Farrah said 16 of them were in the Greater Moncton Area.
Cpl. Farrah said none of the crashes resulted in major injuries, though ambulances were called to several crashes, including seven rollovers.
She also said the RCMP received a number of 911 calls from drivers trying to get information on road conditions. She advised that this ties up resources and 911 should only be used for emergencies.
Drivers can call the local non-emergency police line or call 511 to reach the Department of Transportation highway information line.
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