Expect long weekend delays on the Coquihalla Highway to B.C. Interior
It's been eight months since an unprecedented atmospheric river washed away sections of the Coquihalla Highway connecting Metro Vancouver to the B.C. Interior.
While the vital route reopened sooner than expected, portions of the highway are still single lane each way while repairs are being completed.
Katie Ward with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation said that continued work will cause significant delays for long weekend road trippers.
“Travellers should definitely expect some lane reductions in several places along the corridor. With the long weekend, we are expecting higher than average traffic volumes and delays for travel times throughout the corridor,” said Ward.
The busiest times will be Friday afternoon and between noon and 6 p.m. on Monday, when Ward warns delays could reach two hours.
With high temperatures continuing through the long weekend, Ward is urging motorists to make sure their vehicles are well maintained to prevent break downs caused by overheating.
“Both our maintenance contractor and ministry staff will be out throughout the weekend looking out for any of those folks that maybe pulled over by the side of the road in a tough spot,” said Ward.
Overheating is more common on highways with steep inclines, like the Coquihalla. Josh Smythe, an automotive specialist with BCAA, said drivers should pay close attention to their vehicle’s engine temperature gauge.
“If it’s getting anywhere close to the red or the high point, which is normally marked, pull over. Let it cool off,” said Smythe.
If drivers do pull over and pop the hood, he said they shouldn’t touch their engine cooling system, which will be pressurized and incredibly hot.
“It is going to scald you very rapidly,” he added.
Instead, he suggests leaving the engine off but the keys in the ignition to keep the fan running, until the car cools down enough to attempt driving again.
If the vehicle has a high temperature warning, drivers should pull over if that light comes on, and not wait for the gauge to get even higher.
He said a well-maintained car should be fine in extreme heat, but if it has been neglected and the coolant system hasn’t been checked, drivers could run into problems on long weekend road trips.
“If you feel, hear or see something different, in extreme weather it can change rapidly, so address it sooner than later,” said Smythe.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.