Snow, freezing rain wreak transportation havoc in the Fraser Valley

First it was the snow. Then came the freezing rain.

Driving conditions in the Fraser Valley are treacherous. So treacherous, in fact, that some people hoping to make it to other parts of the province for Christmas opted to turn around Friday.

One of them was Renatto Giras, who made it from New Westminster to Chilliwack before deciding the drive to Kelowna was too risky to continue.

“Pretty bad today,” he said, referring to the roads.

“Everything is freezing here. (I'm) Just trying to get back home.”

Other drivers had also pulled off the highway as freezing rain froze to windshields, making visibility difficult.

“My wipers were doing pretty well and then ice clearly built up. And then just driving on the highway only 60 (km/h), ice just formed over my windshield,” said Nick Lakatos.

He said a number of drivers had spun out on Highway 1.

“Even big vehicles with snow tires, powerful SUVs, are still spinning out,” he said.

Chilliwack resident Jared Harvey had to pull off the highway as well.

“It’s the freezing rain that’s blocking view on the windshield,” he said.

But freezing rain wasn’t the only obstacle Harvey was facing in his journey.

When he pulled into a rest stop, he got stuck.

“There’s no way out. Once you get in, it’s all drifted up. You can’t actually pull through the rest area now,’ Harvey explained, adding that someone had helped pull his truck out.

Abandoned vehicles litter the side of Highway 1 through Abbotsford and Chilliwack, and side roads are also proving too much for some drivers.

“Out here it’s freezing rain, terrible,” said Don Davis after helping pull a vehicle out of a ditch.

Conditions were so bad Friday, buses stopped running in the Fraser Valley.

“Due to recent snowfall mixed with freezing rain and challenging driving conditions, service is currently suspended throughout the Central Fraser Valley Transit System, including Chilliwack, Hope and Agassiz-Harrison transit systems,” said BC Transit in a news release.

Farther east, the Coquihalla Highway was closed southbound Friday morning between Hope and Merritt because of multiple accidents, but has since reopened.

Back in Chilliwack, Mary Anne Miller got stuck when she pulled off the road to clean her windshield wipers.

Fortunately, her husband and friends quickly pulled her vehicle out.

Officials have advised drivers to stay off the roads, except for essential travel, until at least Saturday, when conditions are expected to improve with rising temperatures.