By Ashley Legassic

Commercial trucks to be restricted from left lane on Coquihalla

Nov 14, 2018 | 9:25 AM

MERRITT, B.C. — Starting this week, the provincial government is restricting commercial vehicles from using the far left lane on a section of the Coquihalla Highway.

The Ministry of Transportation says the restriction will be on the Coquihalla’s Snowshed Hill between Box Canyon and Zopkios as part of a “No Trucks in the Left Lane” pilot program. Other routes in the Interior could also follow suit.

The ministry says even with regular plowing and sanding during the winter, snow and slush accumulate quickly on the road surface which can reduce traction and visibility. Conditions can get even worse for drivers if a spun out commercial vehicle ends up blocking the way.

Between Hope and Merritt, the snow is heavy and wet and over the past couple of winter seasons, commercial vehicles on the Coquihalla have been spinning out in climbing sections more frequently during storms.

According to the ministry, 33 of 35 extended closures on the highway last winter involved commercial vehicles.

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“At times this meant commercial vehicles were blocking the highway until they could either be towed away, or equipped with chains (which they should have already had on their vehicles),” the ministry states on its website. “What makes these closures even worse is that, because the Coquihalla is a divided highway, snow plows often get caught in the traffic queue behind the blockage, restricted by roadside barriers and unable to turn around. So, snow continues to fall, unplowed, until the blockage is cleared.”

The pilot project is aiming to end that trend this year, with the restrictions on Snowshed Hill coming into place this week.