Police and municipal snow removal crews advise Chatham-Kent residents not to drive on rural roads this morning.
The OPP closed Highway 40 between Wallaceburg and Chatham this morning. They also closed Hwy. 401 in Essex County, as several tractor-trailers have jack-knifed on the highway, and numerous vehicles are in the ditch.
Wayne Pollock, head of Public Works for the Chatham-Kent, said the wind is still gusting and north-south rural roads are in particularly poor condition, with larges drifts obstructing portions of the roadways.
He added there are stranded vehicles on roadways as well.
In urban areas, there is localized drifting where there are open areas.
The municipality pulled the plows off the rural roads last night, and while they are back out this morning, Pollock said weather conditions in some parts of Chatham-Kent are so bad that it’s not safe to operate the plows there yet.
The snow removal fleet is focusing on keeping major north-south roads open, he said.
