Construction, holiday traffic to cause long-weekend delays on Coquihalla Highway

MERRITT, B.C. — Drivers planning to take the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt are being told to prepare for significant delays over B.C. Day long weekend. 

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit says a section of Highway 5 between Exit 250 and Exit 256 is undergoing major drainage construction. 

“Lane closures will be in place in the area due to hazards within the closed lane and cannot be removed during the long weekend,” the ministry states in a news release. 

The province says traffic on the Coquihalla Highway is expected to be higher than normal, particularly on Friday (July 31) and Monday (Aug. 3), due to the holiday. The closure of the Trans-Canada Highway from Lytton to Boston Bar throughout the long weekend and evacuations affecting other major routes will also be factors.