Local drivers already have a few winter storms under their belt, with additional severe weather anticipated before spring arrives.
But many are not sure how or where to access the most accurate information regarding road closures.
During storms in recent years, information on road conditions and closures has been distributed through many sources, including radio and television broadcasts, as well as online sources such as websites, Twitter and Facebook.
Up-to-date road condition and closure information is accessible from the Ministry of Transportation trough the 511 Traveler Information Services. The services can be accessed online or via telephone.
To access information on highway driving conditions and closures via telephone drivers can simply call 511 before setting out on a trip.
A Twitter feed for provincial highway road closures is available through @Ontario511.
Closure and road condition information is also available at www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/trip/index.shtml.
Information on County of Wellington road closures is available by calling the central garage at 519-821-2090 or 1-866-799-4166. From November to March, the garage is staffed 24/7.
However, county communications manager Andrea Ravensdale said, “During severe weather those lines are jammed with a high volume of calls,” so the best way to keep track of the county road situation during a storm is to sign up for email alerts through the County of Wellington website.
The county posts closures (related to weather, accidents, etc.) and re-openings on its “Roads – Notices and Closures” webpage.
“Ideally, closures and re-openings should be posted within 20 to 30 minutes of (the county) being notified by the OPP. This is still a relatively new process … so there are bound to be a few hiccups along the way,” Ravensdale explained.
The county also posts information on when the roads department pulls plows from the roads and when county plows return to operation.
As the county’s social media sites are not monitored 24/7, the county does not post road information on these sites.
However some local municipalities do post road closure information through their Twitter feeds or Facebook pages. They also issues press releases on local road closures and plow status, which are disseminated through area media outlets.
During storms the Wellington Advertiser posts information on local road conditions from a variety of sources on its Twitter feed @wellyadvertiser through the day and into the evening.
