Highway 1 in Abbotsford closed Sunday due to flooding
A major highway in the Fraser Valley closed at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon due to the threat of flooding, according to the provincial government
The Ministry of Transportation said in a news release that Highway 1 would be closed between Exit 90 (McCallum Road) and Exit 109 (Yale Road in Chilliwack) as of 5 p.m.
Highway 1 in Abbotsford was closed for several days after the last major flooding event earlier this month.
Heavy rain from B.C.'s latest atmospheric river caused flooding on several highways Sunday morning and triggered another landslide on Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon.
While there have been no major slides or washouts reported during this weekend's storm, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said each of the highways that were pre-emptively closed on Saturday have been impacted by the weather.
The landslide on Highway 1 struck about seven kilometres east of the Highway 9 junction. Farther east along the route, there was a rockfall in the Fraser Canyon and pooling water near Boston Bar.
"Cleanup is underway," Fleming said at a Sunday morning update. "We have geotechnical engineers that are currently assessing when they can reopen."
Trees and debris came down onto Highway 3, which was shut down between Hope and Princeton as a precaution. There was also minor rockfall on the closed stretch of Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet.
It's unclear when the three highways will be able to reopen, but officials said the updates will be posted on DriveBC as they become available.
As of Sunday afternoon, DriveBC said Highway 1 was open between Hope and Boston Bar, but Highways 3 and 99 remained closed, with no updates expected until 10 a.m. Monday.
A number of other routes were impacted by flooding overnight, including a 4.8-kilometre stretch of Highway 7 through Maple Ridge between 105 Avenue and 263 Street.
"Right now, only commercial vehicles are still getting through this part of Highway 7, while local passenger vehicles are being re-routed through local streets," Fleming said Sunday morning.
Localized flooding may force additional closures in other areas on Sunday, the minister added.
Floodwaters already temporarily blocked a bus lane on Highway 99 in Richmond and forced the closure of the 264th Street onramp on Highway 1, though both issues have been resolved.
Highway 7 reopened in the early afternoon, according to DriveBC.
Officials also closed Highway 1 between Popkum and Hope on Saturday so that water could be released from the Jones Lake Reservoir. While officials said that rushing water could damage parts of the highway that were impacted during the last major storm, they said the releases are "crucial" to protecting the reservoir.
While the rainfall continues, Deputy Premier Mike Farnworth urged Lower Mainland residents to avoid non-essential travel, noting that pooling water can sometimes be much deeper than looks.
"We're in the middle of one of the most intense series of storms that we have seen along coastal B.C.," Farnworth said.
"If you must be on the road, carry food, water, warm clothes, a blanket and a well-stocked emergency kit."
Repairing the highways damaged during the previous intense storm is expected to take months and cost billions of dollars. That includes the hard-hit Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge, large sections of which were "swallowed by the Nicola River," Farnworth said.
Emergency Management B.C. has been working to provide food, medication and other supplies to First Nations communities that have been isolated by the closure, the deputy premier added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.