'Multiple vehicle incidents' lead to overnight closures of B.C.'s Coquihalla Highway

A car is seen in this snow in this undated image. (Shutterstock)

Vancouver -

Parts of a major highway between B.C.'s Interior and Lower Mainland were closed overnight Tuesday due to "multiple vehicle incidents" in snowy conditions.

A notice on Twitter from DriveBC said shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday that the Coquihalla Highway was closed to southbound traffic between Hope and Merritt because of incidents between Zopkios and Portia. Drivers were told to expect major delays.

While southbound lanes eventually reopened, northbound lanes were closed for vehicle recovery. That direction finally reopened just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.

A snowfall warning was issued for Highway 5 Tuesday, with Environment Canada urging drivers to be cautious in the mountain passes. Up to 25 centimetres was expected to accumulate, the warning said, with the heaviest snow predicted to fall on Tuesday night.

But in an update Wednesday morning, Environment Canada said 38 centimetres accumulated on the Coquihalla Tuesday and another 10 centimetres is expected to fall before the snow tapers off. 

Drivers travelling on many B.C. highways, including the Coquihalla, are now required to have winter tires or chains on their vehicle. As of Oct. 1, drivers without them may be fined $121 or turned around.

The ministry's website recommends using four matched winter tires and says both the all-season "mud and snow" (M+S) tires and the three-peaked "mountain/snowflake" tires meet the legal winter tire requirements in B.C.