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Fresh snow, rain making for icy commute across Greater Victoria

Snow falling along sections of local roadways Tuesday morning
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Fresh snow along Highway 1 at the entrance to Goldstream Provincial Park early Tuesday (Jan. 4) morning. (Drive BC/screenshot)

Commuters are reporting slippery roads and walkways across Greater Victoria Tuesday morning as snow touches down in some areas once again.

Highway cameras shortly after 6:30 a.m. show fresh flakes along the Malahat and parts of highways 1, 14 and 17. DriveBC has issued slippery road warnings for all four highways, as well as West Saanich Road at Royal Oak Drive.

Transit has also been affected, with BC Transit warning of dozens of cancelled and detoured routes.

Monday night, police departments across the region issued travel warnings to drivers, calling road conditions treacherous, and asking people to avoid travel.

On Tuesday morning, Saanich Police issued a traffic advisory via Twitter that eastbound traffic on McKenzie Avenue was blocked between Highway 1 and Burnside Road due to a minor collision around 8 a.m.

“We have been responding to several collisions this morning, fortunately, all minor, due to the icy roads,” said Const. Markus Anastasiades of the Saanich Police Department.

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In Langford, a fatal crash Monday evening near the intersection of Sooke and Humpback roads around 6 p.m. closed Sooke Road for several hours. The roadway reopened shortly after midnight.

Bear Mountain Parkway was closed for around 90 minutes early Tuesday morning, and one section was closed for a short period last night.

“The temperature is colder than what we normally see here so once it goes below four to six degrees, the hard salt just bounces off of the road so we have to sand then,” Michelle Mahovlich, director of engineering and public works at the City of Langford said in an email. “It’s a matter of monitoring the conditions and being able to change on the fly, so to speak.”

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the region Monday night, warning of snow flurries and reduced visibility up until Tuesday afternoon.

“Be prepared for sudden changes in road condition and sudden reduction in visibility in heavy snow. If visibility is reduced while driving, turn on your lights and maintain a safe following distance,” it said in its statement.

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