Traffic on shuttered Manitoba roadways raises questions about how closures are communicated

Dangerous driving conditions forced the closure of a number of Manitoba highways Tuesday into Wednesday morning, but whether by accident or not, drivers were still seen on many of those shuttered roadways.

The traffic is raising questions about how road closures are communicated.

Justin Kochen lives about a half-hour west of Winnipeg and says he was already on his daily commute into the city before he realized the stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway he was driving on was actually closed Wednesday morning.

“I was already passed Elie by the time the radio had told me that the highway from Headingley to Elie was closed,” Kochen said later in the day.

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“I’ve been driving on the highway for like 17 years, and when you get up in the morning, you look outside, if you can see the highway, there’s no reason to think it would be closed otherwise.”

Kochen says he saw a number of people driving on both sides of the highway on his commute,despite the fact the road had been closed for almost 12 hours.

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Other than a few icy spots, Kochen says he was able to drive the speed limit comfortably the whole way.

But it’s not something he would have done had he known the highway was closed. He says while he usually checks the province’s highways site (511) when conditions are bad, he saw no need after looking out his window Wednesday morning.

He wonders if more should be done to make sure drivers don’t inadvertently end up on closed highways.

“If there’s apps that can alert you, then why not?” he said.

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“Or maybe at all major intersections, they have like a flashing light, you know, to tell you that maybe the highway is closed.”

Mounties say, they, along with the province, decide when roads under their jurisdiction are closed.

Manitoba RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre says police put up gates where possible, but some access points remain open.

“If people want to get onto the highways, it’s technically nothing stopping them,” he said Wednesday.

“You can’t put a gate up on every, pretty much, mile road where you can turn, or you can’t put a police vehicle at these locations.”

Manitoba’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure says drivers should check 511 before heading out.

Doyle Piwniuk notes the site has maps outlining which highways are open and closed and livestreams from highway cameras showing current conditions.

He also says Manitobans can register for email alerts, and adds the province is working on putting up more reader board on highways.

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“We’re actually reviewing the costs and and working together with with our neighbouring jurisdictions but also within our department,” he explained.

“We would like to put more of those signs in the future, much like you see that on freeway systems in the U.S.”

Piwniuk says his department is open to looking into other options, including a public alert system, but admits that hasn’t really been explored yet.

In the meantime, he says, the onus is on Manitobans to check for closures before getting behind the wheel.

— with files from Rosanna Hempel