Police report over 100 collisions Tuesday following heavy snow

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) says it responded to 52 collisions between midnight and 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

The force notes that this does not include those in Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and RCMP jurisdiction — covering both highways and parkways — nor those that were directly referred to collision reporting centres.

Following more than 10 centimetres of snow that fell on the nation’s capital overnight in a spring snowstorm, a snowfall warning remains in effect across the region.

“Blowing and heavy snow are expected to cause reduced visibility,” wrote OPS on X.

“We have reports of multiple collisions this morning — please slow down and increase your stopping distance,” they added.

Accidents include a collision between Carling and Island Park earlier this morning, causing gridlock conditions in both directions on the Kichi Zībī Mīkan Parkway, reported OPS.

Additionally, a collision involving a school bus took place before 7:30 a.m. on Boundary Road between Thunder and Mitch Owens roads.

According to police, no children were on the school bus at the time and Boundary Road was closed following the crash. The incident has now been cleared.

Based on the City of Ottawa Traffic X page, several accidents — as well as construction and other incidents — took place this morning including:

• Collision on Highway 417 westbound at Terry Fox Drive. Two right lanes and right shoulder were closed. Incident has been cleared.
• Robertson eastbound reduced to one lane at Eagleson due to a collision.
• Highway 416 northbound at Fallowfield — right lane and right shoulder closed due to a collision.
• Highway 174 westbound reduced to one lane at Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway. Construction from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
• Highway 174 eastbound reduced to one lane at Montreal Road. Construction from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.
• Highway 174 eastbound reduced to one lane between Sir George-Étienne Cartier and Jeanne d’Arc. Construction from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. today.
• Highway 174 eastbound reduced to one lane at Trim Road. Construction from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Traffic signals not working at Herzberg, Carling traffic disruptions expected.
• Riverside northbound centre lane closed at Revelstoke due to a fallen pole.

Ottawa police are reminding drivers to slow down and adjust driving to the changing road conditions, as the city’s roads are slippery and covered in snow.

More crashes reported by OPP

The OPP East Region unit are also urging drivers to slow down, plan for extra travel time, and keep headlights turned on to improve visibility.

Officers have responded to approximately 50 collisions since midnight, with the majority happening since 6 a.m., wrote OPP in an email to CityNews.

According to provincial police, most incidents resulted in no injuries or minor injuries.

“The return of winter weather means motorists must adjust their driving,” police said in a message to drivers. “Keep your eyes on the road ahead and avoid any sudden maneuvers that could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Speed limits are for ideal conditions – these are not ideal conditions.”