Whiteouts on township roads saw police respond to more than a dozen collisions Thursday morning, with conditions forcing the closure of several roads.
By early afternoon, Waterloo Regional Police had closed the highway between Elmira and Waterloo, setting up roadblocks at Arthur Street and Listowel Road as well as the roundabout near St. Jacobs. Likewise, Northfield Drive was closed at the Conestogo intersection of Sawmill Road and at the University Avenue end in Waterloo.
Also closed were intersections at Hawkesville Road and Northside Drive, Herrgott Road and Ament Line and Herrgott Road and Lobsinger Line.
Police advised drivers to stay off the roads if possible, urging safety as the first priority.
“This is the first big snowstorm this season, so people should take all the precautions,” said regional police spokesperson Cherri Greeno.
Ontario Provincial Police note widespread road closures throughout Wellington and Perth counties, including Hwy. 7/8 between Kitchener and Stratford. As well, Centre Wellington County and the Township of Mapleton pulled snowplows from the road due to reduced visibility.
The Alma Community Centre is open for emergency shelter and the Community Sportsplex in Fergus is open until midnight for emergency shelter.
Woolwich Township plans to close the Breslau Community Centre and St. Jacobs arena at 4 p.m., with the WMC in Elmira remaining open.
Region of Waterloo plows remain on the roads, but the region is reporting delays in waste pickup today, with crews unlikely be able to complete today’s collection.
Crews picking up garbage, green bin and recycling will attempt to collect as much as possible from the Thursday areas. However, it is expected that some streets will remain uncollected, notes a release.
Trucks will return to finish collection in the Thursday areas on Friday. If waste remains uncollected after Friday, residents are asked to please notify the region’s customer service group at 519-575-4400.
