(CFJC Today/File photo).
COQUIHALLA REOPENING

Coquihalla Highway to re-open for essential travel on Dec. 20

Dec 15, 2021 | 3:32 PM

VICTORIA — Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming announced the Coquihalla Highway will re-open to essential traffic by the end of the day on Monday, Dec. 20.

Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt will re-open to commercial vehicles and inter-city busses.

Paula Cousins, executive director for the Southern Interior branch of the Ministry of Infrastructure, says it will take an extra 45 minutes to travel through the Coquihalla in good weather conditions.

It’s been over one month since sections of Highway 5 were washed out during the atmospheric river event in mid-November.

In addition, Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton will have its essential designation removed. The province hopes to re-open Highway 3 for all travel 24 hours after re-opening the Coquihalla.

Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet will also open for non-essential travel the day before the Coquihalla re-opens (Dec. 19). Fleming says vehicles must be prepared for winter conditions, and no vehicles larger than a cube van can pass through.

More to come.