Major northern Ontario highway reopens after hours long closure

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

A long stretch of Highway 11 in northern Ontario was closed for several hours on Saturday after poor weather, a disabled transport truck and multiple collisions, Ontario Provincial Police said, created unsafe driving conditions.

OPP announced the full closure from Kapuskasing to Cochrane at 3:45 p.m. on social media, following a series of escalating incidents throughout the day. The highway has since fully reopened.

“Stay safe and stay off the roads if possible,” said OPP.

Police urged caution

OPP said poor weather and unsafe road conditions contributed to the closures and urged motorists to take the following steps during inclement weather:

• Avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
• Monitor 511on.ca and municipal511.ca for real-time updates.
• Check weather.gc.ca for weather alerts.

Sequence of closures

The highway troubles began near Smooth Rock Falls early afternoon.

OPP posted shortly after 12:30 p.m. that the eastbound lanes of Highway 11 were closed at Alexandra Road due to a disabled transport truck.

“Please expect delays if travelling through the area, tows are on route but the closure may be lengthy,” police wrote.

By 1:30 p.m., the closure expanded to both directions at the same location.

“Highway 11 is now closed in both directions at Alexandra Road near Smooth Rock Falls for the removal of the transport truck,” OPP said.

Shortly after, at 1:42 p.m., police reported another closure from Departure Lake Road to Highway 655 in Smooth Rock Falls due to multiple crashes.

“Motorists are being advised to expect delays if travelling through the area, and drive with caution as road conditions are poor,” the OPP wrote at the time.

The situation had culminated in a widespread closure announced at 3:45 p.m., shutting down Highway 11 from the Flying J in Kapuskasing to Highway 579 in Cochrane.

At 6:50 p.m., OPP provided an update that the highway had reopened.

“Highway 11 from Kapuskasing to Cochrane has fully reopened,” police said.