Highway 17 closed north of Sault (2 p.m. update)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 by: SooToday.com Staff
OPP ROAD ADVISORIES
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2:01 p.m. update:
Highway 17 is now open.
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Original advisory: 10:58 a.m.
Hwy 17 Wawa to Batchewana closed
Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police advise of the following Road Advisory:
Location: Hwy 17
Brief Description of Event: Poor road conditions due to ice rain
Detour (if available): N/A
Estimated duration of Road Advisory:
OPP Media Contact: Wawa Detachment
The OPP will distribute details and updates of the road advisory as information becomes available.
Please do not call OPP Provincial Communication Centres for road advisory updates or road condition information.
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Just Curious 1/29/2013 11:21:57 AM Report Before they privatized a sand truck would actually go out and salt and sand the freakin' roads.Hardly ever used to close 17 north a few years ago,now it's closed every time we get 2 in of snow...bunch of pansies...
becauseican 1/29/2013 11:42:39 AM ReportJC
The veteran operators and most maintainence techs know what it takes to bare off the roads...or at least keep the yellow line visible. Transfield Services is all about profit. The salt sheds at Goulais, Batchewana, Agawa and Wawa have a minimal amount of material on hand. They've initiated a "Just In Time" policy. They call the shots. Hopefully nobody will get hurt or killed this winter.
mallet 1/29/2013 12:26:02 PM ReportAnother reason to vote out this liberal government... They dont get that much snow and ice down in TO so why should the north be any different, they dont have to come up here... All these made in TO decisions need to be looked at again... What the heck is David O doing, sitting on his thumb when these decisions are made???
shorty38 1/29/2013 12:30:11 PM ReportI believe most of these problems are the results of our Provincial Government sell off of equipment and local employees. When the Highway 17N link was opened, the MTO had equipment, more local employees were involved and we also had more snow.
I guess we can't blame contractors for trying to make a buck, we have to be more involved and make our Government be more accountable.
Snowdon 1/29/2013 12:48:44 PM ReportJC
Closed every time we get 2 inch of snow? It clearly says "ICE RAIN" right in the release. Not an issue of amounts of snow fallen whatsoever, but nice try. Had to get your complaint in.
elanjoe 1/29/2013 1:09:38 PM ReportI thought there was another illegal, yet peaceful protest.
I'm In 1/29/2013 1:14:01 PM ReportIt was PC Mike Harris's government that privatized MTO, the Libs. liked what they saw 9 years ago and didn't change a thing, just remember who you voted for last 2 prov. elections and the one before the Libs. took over.
Luckyyou38 1/29/2013 1:16:29 PM ReportSnowdon
Im pretty sure he meant every other time because hes right, basically everytime it snows out here they close the highway. It was never closed years ago, now its closed every other day and the roads are terrible, ive seen more cars and transports in the ditch this year then i have in the last 10 years. They dont plow the highway like they used to, when it snows you cant see the lines on the road and people drive where they want.. Ive almost been in the ditch a few times due to drivers being over half into my lane.
Sam C 1/29/2013 1:28:04 PM ReportI don't know about the north highway, but the east highway is very well maintained -- and not just the new section. The salt shed in Echo Bay was filled to the rafters at the beginning of the season, and I have yet to be out on the highway in less-than-ideal weather where I haven't seen at least two salt trucks and/or plows out.
I wonder if people's memories of "the old days" is less accurate than the reality? Maybe the highway DID get closed as often as is happening now.
I suspect if someone looked back through 10 or 20 year's worth of Sault Stars there would be a fair number of closures.
Luckyyou38 1/29/2013 1:36:19 PM ReportEver since Transfield took over its constantly being closed. A few years ago it was MAYBE closes 2-3 times per year and the roads were basically always bare pavement. Not anymore, everyone out here you talk to complains at how shitty the roads are being maintained. Lucky to see a plow, salt or sander go by a few times a day during a storm.
Nunavut 1/29/2013 1:55:01 PM ReportWe may be old Sam C but we are not senile !!! Those of us that have drove that north stretch for 25 years and yes even east , have seen "insurance" and "profit" factors making the decisions. More proactive approach and not so chintzy with the sand and salt was what made the difference and that was even with a more predominate use of rear wheeled drive cars and less 4x 4 vehicles on roads, yet still our loyal hourly paid Government employees maanged to keep the roads open. A few of the old time MTO drivers are still around and are also disgusted with the contractor solution.
The O'Brien's 1/29/2013 2:52:08 PM ReportIt was actually the Harris conservatives that implemented the contracting out of highway maintenance. You need to become more knowledgable about your politics!!!! Yes communicating with the current government is a away to make change but voting the liberals out and conservatives in is not the way to do it. If you are going to comment you should get your facts straight.
Just Curious 1/29/2013 3:14:06 PM ReportFolks,Folks,Folks; Never once said that I cared about who did what politically,just that the damn road is closed every time we get a bit of snow OR freezing rain. It seems like it's just in the forecast and they close the roads. As one of the others said,there were a lot less 4x4's and almost all re-wheel drives and people got thru. And Sam, I drove transport from the late 70's to the early 90's thru this neck of the woods so I know what I'm talking about in that regard. If you heard on the C B radio that it was crappy,you took #11 instead if you could. It's the insurance costs for the private contractors that close the road so often,not the OPP. If these guys refuse to go out,the police have no choice..
Just Curious 1/29/2013 3:26:39 PM ReportPS to Sam C; the east highway,new or old,doesn't even begin to compare to the north highway. It's like those two roads are in different worlds. It can be bare from here east as far as you want to go and after you pass Heyden going north you are in a different world. It can be calm and sunny here in the Soo and twenty miles north a raging blizzard. Don't compare apples to oranges.. My point being in the first place,there is only minimal effort invested in keeping the road open. They close it with the least excuse. I'm sure if you talk to any older Wawa-ite you will hear stories of driving to the Soo in way less than ideal conditions yet the road was open and maintained,you just adapted to conditions and carried on.
becauseican 1/29/2013 3:40:02 PM ReportJC
"...bunch of pansies..."
Again JC...Transfield decides when the equipment is sent out...The operators are on a 30 minute call out...when you answer the phone you have 30 minutes to get to the patrol yard and have the truck loaded and out on the road. The driver has no say. TRANSFIELD SERVICES makes more if the trucks are held back...no wages, fuel and vehicle maintenance to pay out if the trucks are parked.
Again JC...The OPP have the final say on road status. Transfield provides road reports...OPP is dispatched to ascertain...and they decide.
In this case they were having a problem on the Wawa end...in the usual areas.
Before Transfield there were 5 trucks at Batch and 4 in Agawa. Now there are 3 trucks at Batch and 3 at Agawa.
I regularly travel the North Road...not for much longer...I hope.
Just Curious 1/29/2013 4:14:28 PM Reportbecauseican; Not arguing with you about who does what,bottom line is when we had provincially owned MTO the roads were cleared and you got thru. Whatever government sold it out I don't care. My bitch is that it was,and we the people are paying for it,or lack of it. What a company in Australia knows about our road conditions up here I can't begin to fathom. I hope all goes well for you until you no longer have to travel the north highway but for those of us left that still do,for pleasure or nessescity,these road closures for lack of proper road maintenance are a pain in the a$$..
Right of Centre 1/29/2013 4:59:14 PM ReportGoogle Transfield Ontario highways.
Here's one...ice on the road for three days before transfield deals with it...North Bay.
becauseican 1/29/2013 6:50:02 PM ReportThe MTO has installed a rumble strip down the centre line on two sections of the highway north of Mamainse Creek. They're not as aggressive as the ones in Michigan but they get you're attention. Someone has the right idea...If you can't see the yellow line at least you'll be able to feel it. They should be installed across the province...too many fatal collisions on the two lanes.
shorty38 1/29/2013 8:48:34 PM ReportTake a trip on 129, check the build up and the wait after a snowfall before it is cleaned, some places new trucks & oneways are not the answere.
Maybe all secondary roads are the same??
Poor Service.
blackhawk 1 1/29/2013 9:06:16 PM ReportTravel to Wawa everyday there & back, I don't seem to have any problem
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