Flooding causes Highway 17 road closure east of Mattawa

A section of Highway 17 is closed east of Mattawa due to flooding and washout, provincial police say.

OPP say the closure is at Bissett Creek, about 50 km east of Mattawa. Police say there are signs postedbetween Bonfield and Deep River.

Crews with the Ministry of Transportation are on site doing repairs. A detour can be accessed south of North Bay through Highway 11 and Highway 60, which travels through Algonquin Park.

OPP say people need to stay off the closed road until it is fixed, adding officers have already laid "several tickets" for people driving on the closed highway. OPP are unable to say when the highway will reopen.

Flood warning remains in place

On Thursday, the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority issued a flood warning due to significant snowmelt and rain in the forecast.

Kurtis Romanchuck, the conservation's water resources engineer, said there have been concerns about high water levels. However, he adds they are starting to go down.

"All watercourses in the area, the flood warning applies to not just Chippewa Creek. In fact, Chippawa Creek is below the peak levels right now [as] it has receded back down somewhat," he said.

"Rural watercourses and lakes are currently still responding and rising. So particularly in those rural areas, at this time I would say to exercise caution."