All County roads will remain closed overnight December 25-26 under order of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Driving on County roads is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act.
The possibility of snow squalls this evening and the poor condition of many roads in the County continue make driving very dangerous.
“We hope that by early tomorrow morning we will be in a better position to consider reopening the roads,” Mayor Steve Ferguson says. “Public safety is our number one concern at this point, though, and we do not want more people stranded on County roads overnight again.”
All motorists that were stranded have been rescued as of 4 pm on December 25. The OPP and the municipality continue to remove vehicles that are directly impeding plowing and creating a safety hazard.
The main County road arteries have been plowed and some progress has been made on secondary side roads. The County is grateful for the ongoing assistance provided by the City of Belleville, which is supporting this work.
Through the evening and overnight hours on December 25-26, crews will focus on maintaining the main artery roads and the emergency routes. Plowing of secondary sideroads will resume early in morning on December 26.
Dial 911 in an emergency when you need immediate help from police, fire or ambulance services. An emergency situation can include medical emergencies such as someone experiencing chest pain or difficulty breathing or a fire that is not contained or controlled. If you are stranded along the roadside, call the OPP’s non-emergency phone line at 1.888.310.1122.
The H.O.P.E Centre in Picton (46 King Street) is open as an emergency warming centre if you are without power in Picton. The County is advising residents to only go to the emergency warming centre on foot. DO NOT DRIVE. The emergency warming centre in Consecon will close this evening; the Emergency Control Group will reassess at 8:30 am to determine if it will reopen on December 26.
Snow squalls may affect the region tonight into Tuesday, December 27. Snow squalls may be heavy at times and significant snowfall accumulations are possible. Current estimates are local snowfall accumulations of 15 to 30 cm by Tuesday morning. Learn more
The Emergency Control Group will meet at 8:30 am on Monday, December 26. An update will follow.
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