Coquihalla Highway reopening to regular traffic on Wednesday, officials say

The Coquihalla Highway is being opened up to regular traffic on Wednesday, but with fewer lanes and lower speed limits than usual in some areas.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming announced the reopening Tuesday morning, calling it another "significant milestone" in B.C.'s recovery from November's destructive storms.

Temporary repairs implemented on Highway 5 have functioned well over the last few weeks, Fleming said, even through some tough winter weather.

"We are now in a position to safely open the Coquihalla to regular vehicle traffic, and that will happen beginning tomorrow," the minister said. "This will be a much more convenient route for people going to and from the Lower Mainland."

B.C.'s province-wide state of emergency, which was declared after the storms and remained in place to control traffic on damaged highways, is also being lifted at midnight.

'NOT THE COQUIHALLA AS WE KNOW IT'

Highway 5 was already opened to essential vehicles on Dec. 20 thanks to weeks of around-the-clock repair efforts, but Fleming cautioned it's still "not the Coquihalla as we know it."

"Some sections of the Coquihalla are two-lane traffic only, with one lane in each direction, and multiple speed reductions are in place," he said. "For everyone's safety it's imperative that all motorists obey the posted speed limits and do not pass in these sections."

Dave Earle, president and CEO of the B.C. Trucking Association, said speed limits don’t go above 100 km/h on any sections of the highway.

“What we’re hearing from our members is it’s taking them about 40 per cent longer than normal to do the runs, so that’s about an hour, an hour and a half more from the Fraser Valley to Kamloops," Earle said. "It’s a little more than the ministry is seeing."

He’s also hoping drivers will be extra cautious, given mountain highways are generally challenging during the winter and the road repairs are temporary.

“Anytime we see the mix between light vehicles and commercial vehicles increasing it always gives us pause,” Earle said.

Officials previously revealed the highway was "completely wiped out or significantly undermined" at 14 sites after a series of atmospheric rivers drenched southwestern B.C., flooding several communities. The Coquihalla was also hit by five separate landslides.

A crew of about 300 people using 200 pieces of heavy machinery worked to get it back up and running last month, but there remains much work to do.

Given the conditions on the route, officials said getting from Hope to Merritt now takes about 45 minutes longer than usual, and that motorists should plan accordingly. Those two communities have working electric vehicle charging stations, but the ones at Britton Creek, which were damaged during the storms, remain down.

Increased police enforcement will continue on the Coquihalla to ensure drivers are obeying the rules, officials said.

Construction of permanent replacements to damage portions of Highway 1, 5 and 8 will begin in the spring. During Tuesday’s news conference it was revealed the province held a virtual project meeting in late November with around 300 representatives from various construction and design firms. Fleming said the assessments of firms has been completed and some have been identified on the “pre-qualified list” for construction work.

“The designs will incorporate construction techniques and practices and design specifications to withstand climate change and the impacts of severe weather events,” he said.

OTHER ROUTES REOPENING

The weight restriction currently in place along Highway 99 from Pemberton to Lillooet will also be lifted on Wednesday, though the government is still discouraging the drivers of large commercial vehicles from using the route due to "challenging terrain."

There is also an increased avalanche risk along parts of Highway 99, the government said.

Highway 1 has been partially reopened from Kanaka Bar to Spences Bridge, but remains closed from Hope to Kanaka Bar.

Officials blamed record snowfalls and avalanche risk for delaying repair work in the area of Jackass Mountain, but said crews are back at work and they expect the highway to "reopen to all vehicle traffic before the end of January."

"When Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon reopens, drivers can expect lengthy delays with additional travel times as long as two hours or longer, depending on the destination," the Ministry of Transportation said in a news release. "Delays are a result of ongoing repairs, an at-grade train crossing, avalanche control and sections of single-lane alternating traffic, which includes a temporary single-lane bridge at the Jackass Mountain and Nicomen River crossing."

Work is also continuing along Highway 8. Fleming said 23 sections of the highway were damaged during the storms, with seven kilometres of road lost entirely.

BC Hydro has restored power to residents between Merritt and the Shackan Indian Reserve and has re-established some limited local traffic.

“All of this means that we expect to have temporary repairs on Highway 8 to a point where people can regain access to their homes this spring,” Fleming said.

The minister also urged anyone heading onto the highways at this time of year to have good winter tires, a full tank of gas, food, water and warm winter clothing.