New flood-related B.C. travel order limits trips on Highway 7

Vancouver -

A new travel order has been issued by officials in British Columbia limiting which drivers are permitted to use a stretch of Highway 7.

The order, announced by Deputy Premier Mike Farnworth and Transportation Minister Rob Fleming at a news conference Tuesday, applies to the section between Mission and Agassiz.

Use of this section of the highway is now limited to essential travel only. This is an extension of an existing restriction, meaning Highway 7 will be open to essential travel only between Murray Street in Mission and Highway 1 in Hope.

"This order is for the short term," Fleming said, adding that it will come into effect at 8 p.m. so that those who drove to work have the chance to get home.

"It is imperative that we give priority to our essential supply chain, and this is the way that we can do that."

This is similar to the orders issued for B.C. highways 1, 3 and 99 in some locations, and is meant to ensure emergency vehicles and those transporting essential goods can get through.

These rules also allow for evacuees to get home safely. A list of what the province considers essential can be read in previous coverage. 

The definition has been updated since to include public transit, charter buses and school buses.

Farnworth said respecting these orders is one way those looking to help British Columbians impacted by the flooding that followed days of rain last week can make a serious impact.

Other ways include carpooling or taking transit to reduce the amount of gas used. Due to supply chain issues, the province is rationing gas already to drivers who need fuel for non-essential trips.

Almost immediately after the rationing rule was announced, gas stations started to sell out. 

Fleming said reopening Highway 1, which is still partially closed due to flooding, remains a top priority for B.C., but that the timeline will depend on an upcoming storm scheduled to strike the Lower Mainland later this week.

He said if there is no weather impact, officials should have a sense of when they'll be able to open parts of the Trans-Canada Highway on Wednesday.

Addressing another highway of note, Fleming spoke about an hours-long closure prompted by a washout.

He said Highway 3 was closed pre-emptively, after the ministry deemed it was necessary to get geotechnical engineers to examine a section near Manning Park. The engineers determined the highway could reopen with monitoring systems in place.

"While we have people working around the clock to get these routes open, safety is always going to take precedence as we move forward."