Tuesday, March 5, 2002

HWY 17 NORTH CLOSED!!!
Pancake Bay, Ont.,

Hwy 17 north from Pancake Bay to Wawa is now closed due to snow, and high winds causing blowing snow.

HIGHWAY 17 CONDITIONS GET WORSE

Conditions on Hwy 17 between Pancake Bay and Wawa are getting worse as the evening wears on.

OPP officers and MTO personnel from Wawa and Sault Ste Marie have closed that stretch of Hwy 17 since about noon today.

The latest reports indicate that a sand truck, used to maintain the highway, has gone off the highway and into the ditch. Numerous trucks remain jack knifed and stuck on the steep hills in the area.

High winds off of Lake Superior continue to blast that area with snow and blowing snow. Visibility is very poor to zero at the best of times.

Highway maintaince crews will continue their attempt to get the highway reopened as soon as possible.

The highway remains closed at 9:45 p.m. with police speculating that it may be morning before it is opened.

ASSAULT SENDS ONE WOMAN TO HOSPITAL
Heyden, Ont