Parts of Highway 63 remain closed Saturday morning as spring snowstorm strands hundreds of vehicles

A spring snowstorm forced the closure of part of Highway 63 overnight south of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Highway 63 remained closed in both directions Saturday morning after a spring snowstorm stranded many motorists overnight.

The province’s 511 Alberta website reported shortly after 10 a.m. that the highway was closed between Wandering River and Highway 881.

It said there was no timeline for reopening.

The Municipality of Wood Buffalo said it in a Saturday release that it has sent buses, food and water, plows and heavy equipment to help stranded motorists.

It said buses traveled in northbound lanes to transport anyone still stranded to Fort McMurray.

There were four different drop-off points in Fort McMurray:

• Bus 1: Timberlea - Independent parking lot;
• Bus 2: Thickwood - Centrefire Place parking lot;
• Bus 3: Downtown  - Walmart parking lot; and
• Bus 4: Beacon Hill/Gregoire - Frank Lacroix parking lot.

It said the RCMP are working with Robby’s Towing and Enbridge to access stranded vehicles to help get them out of snowdrifts.

Abandoned vehicles are being towed to Mile Marker160 at the Conoco turn-off.

Friday night

Hundreds of people were stranded on the highway overnight due to a snowstorm.

Multiple crashes were reported on Highway 63, the main highway through the region, and Highway 881 on Thursday after the storm landed.

Both are provincial highways in and out of Fort McMurray.

As of Friday afternoon, travel was not recommended for about 100 kilometres of Highway 63 between Crow Lake Provincial Park and Fort McMurray International Airport, according to 511 Alberta. Travel was also not recommended on Highway 881 from Margie to Highway 63.

• RCMP warn of ‘treacherous’ road conditions as spring snowstorm hits Alberta

Mounties did not know how many people were stuck overnight, nor when traffic would return to normal.

A flyover conducted by a third-party company on Friday counted approximately 300 vehicles stopped in two different pockets of congestion.

With files from CTV News’ Alex Antoneshyn