Highway 3 to close overnight each night until Tuesday

A large stretch of Highway 3 will close each night until Tuesday next week because of concern about visibility and public safety, the NWT government says.

“From September 5-8, Highway 3 will be closed each night between Fort Providence and Highway 9 junction starting at 12am. The road will reopen each morning around 8am if conditions allow,” the Department of Infrastructure stated on Meta’s channels.

The department said the closures are because of “public safety as fog patches are expected to develop overnight and persist into the early morning hours over the next few days.”

The same section of Highway 3 was closed for most of Thursday following what Cabin Radio understands was a collision north of Fort Providence that morning. The road reopened at 6pm.

GNWT officials did not confirm any collision had taken place and have so far given no reason for the closure, which lasted a little more than eight hours. RCMP have also been approached for comment.

The Department of Infrastructure said late on Thursday afternoon it was still gathering information about what occurred and would provide more details on Friday.

Drivers who were on the highway early on Thursday said conditions had been awful, with zero visibility as wildfire smoke and fog mixed with each other.

One person, requesting anonymity to discuss an incident in which they were directly involved, described the scene as “wild.”

Lines of traffic built up south of Behchokǫ̀ and next to Fort Providence’s Big River Service Centre as the highway closure persisted into the afternoon and early evening.

Fort Providence itself remains under an evacuation order because of SS014, a nearby wildfire that moved to within a kilometre of the community at the start of the week.

The community’s mayor has since said he feels confident that work this week to defend the hamlet will ensure it remains safe from the fire.