Coquihalla Highway could reopen by late January, minister says, as repairs underway
For the first time since last week's devastating storm destroyed several sections of the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt, B.C., the provincial government has issued a tentative timeline for when the route might reopen.
B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming said during a news conference Thursday that - if all goes according to plan - the province hopes to complete "temporary repairs" to allow Highway 5 to reopen by late January.
Fleming said the province is "reasonably optimistic" that enough repairs can be completed to allow commercial traffic on the highway in about two months' time.
"I do have to caution that the weather will be a factor and a key consideration in determining whether we can reach that target," the minister said.
"When we do open up, obviously, like other highways that have been impacted, it won't be business as usual on the Coquihalla," he added. "There will be two segments, each 20-to-30 kilometres in length, where the highway will have to have reduced speeds and only one lane in each direction will be possible."
Fleming said "about 20 sites" along the highway were damaged or washed away along a 130-kilometre corridor.
"This is going to be a daunting task to get that highway back to being fully operational, but I'm pleased to report that the work has begun," he said. "Right now, we have around 100 pieces of equipment working around the clock to restore temporary access as fast as possible."
The minister thanked work crews and contractors for their efforts on Highway 5 and other highways around the province.
"We've never seen anything like this in B.C. in terms of how many highways have been impacted all at once," he said. "We have 200 sites across the South Coast and Interior that were impacted. Some of these highways are vital for the movement of essential goods, but all of them are vital for the people who live and travel in these areas."
Highway 5, also known as the Coquihalla Highway, is the fastest and most-travelled vehicle route between B.C.'s Fraser Valley and the Interior cities of Kelowna and Kamloops.
Other highways between the Lower Mainland and the Interior, including Highway 1, Highway 3 and Highway 99, were also closed by landslides during the deadly storm. Highway 3 and Highway 99 have since reopened, with travel restrictions, and portions of Highway 1 have also reopened, though that route does not yet connect the Interior to the Lower Mainland.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.