Residents in southern Saskatchewan woke up to icy conditions Wednesday morning that caused major problems on the roads.
Regina police report that there were 50 collisions in total between 12:00 a.m. Wednesday morning until 5 p.m. Wednesday night. Seven of those collisions caused minor injuries.
“The critical piece is to give yourself some extra time to get to where you’re going. Leave a little earlier in the morning. Make sure your vehicle is clear of ice and snow, because you want to be seen as well as being able to see,” said Elizabeth Popowich, Regina Police Service.
In Regina, a semi truck heading south on Ring Road near the Victoria Avenue off-ramp was completely turned around, forcing police to shut down the southbound lanes between Victoria and Arcola avenues.
The rollover left a lineup of semi trucks at a standstill along Victoria Avenue.
“With a car, the whole vehicle moves. But you’re driving the tractor, the whole trailer can swing around and hit you because it pivots underneath on the fifth wheel,” said Ron Isaac, truck driver.
That section of Ring Road is now reopened. Arcola Avenue was also backed up this morning due to a vehicle colliding with a lamppost.
For those travelling east toward the Queen City traffic was backed up for most of Wednesday morning as White Butte RCMP closed a section of Highway 1 near Belle Plaine due to a semi truck rollover.
There was also a report of a semi truck rollover in the centre median near Pense around the same time.
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure has confirmed that the section of highway has been reopened but is advising people to stay off the roads between Belle Plaine and Regina.
WATCH: Regina residents were having some this morning after waking up to a city covered in ice.
But the difficult conditions didn’t keep everyone at home.
Some seniors braved the highways from Moose Jaw and Lumsden to attend a weekly dance at the Regina Senior Citizens’ Centre.
“The fog got worse as we came from Moose Jaw,” Elroy Keller said. “By the time we got to Regina there was probably only a couple of blocks where you could see.”
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