Avalanche risk leads to temporary highway closures, limited access to B.C.'s Lower Mainland

Two routes connecting B.C.'s Lower Mainland to the Interior closed Monday morning as crews address the risk of avalanches.

DriveBC said in an alert that parts of Highway 1 and Highway 3 were blocked. Starting at 8 a.m., Highway 1 was closed between Yale and Jackass Summit, north of Hope, "due to elevated avalanche risk," the Transportation Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Highway 3 closed at 9 a.m. for avalanche control east of Hope. An advisory on DriveBC's website said that closure would be between Exit 173 and Allisson Pass Summit, which is a 55-kilometre stretch. The route reopened just over an hour later, but delays were still expected.

"With these two roads closed, access to (Vancouver) is limited to Highway 99," DriveBC's notice on Twitter said before Highway 3 reopened.

Then, at about 11:15 a.m., DriveBC announced Highway 12 was also closed because of avalanche danger. The 34-kilometre section between Six Mile Road and Fraser Crescent was blocked to traffic.

Meanwhile, on Highway 5, only commercial traffic, emergency vehicles and inter-city buses are allowed to use the route as it's still undergoing repairs from November's series of devastating storms.

Highway 3 was closed late last week as well because of avalanche risk. The closure meant a power outage at Manning Park couldn't be addressed for an extended period of time.