The Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt remains closed indefinitely due to a high avalanche hazard.
Over the last 10 days, there have been almost three metres of snow along the Coquihalla Highway corridor. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone said this huge volume of snow is sitting on a weak layer, making it very unstable. The result has been slides on paths that have never before reached the highway in the 27 years that the Coquihalla Highway has been open.
“Our ministry’s avalanche technicians have been conducting avalanche control activities the last two weeks to reduce the risk,” said Stone. “The control mission we are hoping to undertake today is one of the largest avalanche control missions in the history of the Coquihalla Highway and will involve up to three helicopters.”
Highway 1, Highway 3 and Highway 8 are available as detour routes until the Coquihalla reopens. Motorists are advised to check DriveBC.ca for updates.
