UPDATE: Highway 97C reopens, power restored after crash near Merritt

Jan 11, 2026 | 11:50 AM

MERRITT — (UPDATE 2:40 p.m.): Power has been restored to a large area near Merritt after an outage, which was caused by a motor vehicle incident that also forced the closure of a section of Highway 97C.

While its not clear what happened, the crash led to downed powerlines which affected traffic in both directions on the highway that connects Merritt and Logan Lake. According to DriveBC, two way traffic began flowing again just after 2:00 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 11). afternoon.

According to BC Hydro, power was restored to 1,289 customers at 2:30 p.m., about they spent about seven hours in the dark.

Extent of the power outage caused by downed powerlines on Highway 97C on Sunday, Jan. 11. (Image Credit: BC Hydro)

UPDATE: Highway 97C reopens, power restored after crash near Merritt

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