New Brunswick

Multiple collisions in bad weather lead to Trans-Canada closures in N.B.

Police have responded to accidents near Perth-Andover and Salisbury amid heavy snowfall.

Police have responded to 'multiple collisions' near Perth-Andover and Salisbury amid heavy snowfall

route 2 highway sign
The Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick was closed in two locations on Thursday evening due to crashes amid heavy, wet snow. (Guillaume Aubut/Radio-Canada)

Accidents caused by heavy snowfall forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway in two locations in New Brunswick Thursday evening. 

As of 9 p.m., New Brunswick 511 showed the highway closed in both directions near kilometre marker 120, between the Perth-Andover and Florenceville-Bristol exits. The highway was first closed around 7 p.m. 

The eastbound highway was also closed for several hours due to an accident just west of Petitcodiac, between the Petitcodiac and Coles Island exits. As of 9 p.m., eastbound traffic toward Moncton was allowed to pass, but the highway remained reduced to one lane.

An RCMP post on Facebook just before 8 p.m. said the Perth-Andover closure was due to "multiple collisions." The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the status of the highway.

Fredericton Police Force spokesperson Sonya Gilks said in an email at 8 p.m. that said city police had responded to "more than a dozen motor vehicle accidents, some with injuries."

The New Brunswick 511 website showed the Trans-Canada as snow-covered from the Quebec border to Coles Island, about halfway between Fredericton and Moncton. 

Environment Canada said Fredericton was expected to receive five to 10 centimetres of snow Thursday afternoon.