‘Avoid any unnecessary travel’: Highway 17 closed due to bad weather west of Sault Ste. Marie

Rick Wyman has all the weather details you need to know for northeastern Ontario and what to expect for the next seven days.

Severe winter weather continues in the north and Highway 17 is closed once again west of Sault Ste. Marie.

It is closed at the Highway 563 intersection in Batchawana Bay to the Highway 631 junction in White River.

“The OPP advises motorists to avoid any unnecessary travel as driving conditions are deteriorating,” Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Wednesday.

“Please do not call OPP Provincial Communication Centres for weather updates or road condition information.”

A long line of backed up traffic was seen on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation camera looking east around 10:30 a.m.

The MTO traveller information website Ontario 511 said the closure began about 8:30 a.m.

The highway was closed in both directions between Highway 101 in Wawa to Highway 522 in Goulais River on Tuesday.