No Travel Advisory Lifted from Hwy 71/23 and Hwy 9 near Willmar

No travel advisory lifted from Hwy 71/23 and Hwy 9 near Willmar

Road closures and no travel advisories remain in effect for most of Southwest Minnesota

WILLMAR, Minn. – (6:00 p.m.) The Minnesota Department of Transportation has lifted the No Travel Advisory from the following state highway segments. These segments are partially snow-covered with blowing snow creating reduced visibility.

• Hwy 23/71 Willmar area bypass from Hwy 23 to Point Lake
• Hwy 23/71 from “the split” to Paynesville area four-lane
• Hwy 9 from Hwy 23 in New London to US 71

State highways remain closed in the following counties due to zero visibility and multiple crashes.

• Lincoln
• Lyon
• Murray
• Pipestone
• Redwood
• Renville
• Yellow Medicine

Roadways will remain closed until conditions improve. When a road is closed it is illegal to travel in that area. Drivers can be fined up to $1,000 and/or sentenced to 90 days in jail. In addition, if travelers need to be rescued from a closed road, other expenses and penalties could apply.

No travel advisories are in effect for state highways in the following southwest Minnesota counties. Strong winds and blowing snow are creating whiteout conditions.

• Chippewa
• Kandiyohi
• Lac qui Parle
• McLeod
• Meeker

No Travel Advised means that the roadway has deteriorated and/or visibility has been reduced to the point that it is very dangerous to travel; there are reports of intermittent whiteout conditions; and, some weather conditions can be severe enough that road treatments, such as salt or sand, are not effective.

Motorists are advised not to travel in these counties until conditions improve.

The public can view winter road conditions from plow cameras available through the www.511mn.org website. Please note that not all plows have cameras. Road conditions on major highways can also be viewed through the Road Weather Information System (RWIS), which is also part of 511.