The NWT government is reintroducing night-time closures of Highway 3 north of Fort Providence because of fog and smoke in the area.
At the start of September, the highway was closed overnight for multiple consecutive nights – an action taken after a multi-vehicle collision in dangerously low visibility.
More incidents have happened on the road since, and visibility concerns have persisted as wildfires continue to burn nearby.
As a result, the GNWT said on Wednesday it was returning to the night closure tactic as a safety measure.
“Over the next few days, Highway 3 will be closed each night between Fort Providence and Chan Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area km 121 starting at 12am. The road will reopen each morning around 8am as conditions allow. Scheduled closures will begin tonight,” the NWT’s Department of Infrastructure said in a statement to Facebook users.
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“The decision to close this section was made with respect to public safety, as fog and smoke persist in the area. Highway crews will assess conditions and open the road when safe to do so. Please drive to conditions.”
Several drivers on Wednesday reported being advised of another incident involving a collision of some description on Highway 3, which was closed for hours on Wednesday morning because of poor visibility. RCMP have been approached for information.
In Fort Providence itself, officials appealed on Wednesday morning for people to only drive if they absolutely had to as visibility dropped to zero.
