Update 5 p.m.
The Coquihalla will not be open until at least the afternoon of March 4, says MOTI.
Avalanche control is planned for Saturday morning.
Highways 1 and 3 are alternate routes between the coast and the Interior, though traffic is expected to be much heavier than usual.
Update 3:10 p.m.
A tweet from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) says crews are busy clearing more than 70 centimetres of snow from the Coquihalla. The highway remains closed between Hope and Merritt dues to extreme winter weather.
How much snow is on the #Coquihalla? Crews are using heavy equipment, working to clear 70+cms that fell in the last 24 hours. #BChwy5 – #HopeBC to #Merritt is closed due to extreme winter weather.
Alternate route via #BCHwy1 and #BCHwy3. https://t.co/17mflAtLQL pic.twitter.com/sH2fyELX5n— BC Transportation (@TranBC) March 3, 2023
Update 1:50 p.m.
The Coquihalla will remain closed in both directions until at least 4 p.m. as crews continue to create safer driving conditons.
Environment Canada has also lengthed the snowfall warning, stating the stretch of the highway from Hope to Merritt is expecting another 15 centimetres.
Update 10:40 a.m.
The vehicle incident in the southbound lanes have been cleared but the highway is now closed in both directions due to heavy congestion and extreme winter weather.
Crews are clearing snow to create safer driving conditions.
⛔UPDATE – #BCHwy5 incident at Ladner Creek Bridge has cleared but highway is now CLOSED northbound in addition to southbound between #HopeBC and #Merritt due to heavy congestion and extreme winter weather. #Coquihalla
ℹ️For more info:https://t.co/c9G0e9XZVb
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) March 3, 2023
DriveBC’s next update will be at 2 p.m.
Update 9:55 a.m.
DriveBC estimates the Coquihalla’s southbound lanes will be open around 11 a.m.
Update 8:05 a.m.
The Coqiuhalla Highway’s southbound lanes will be closed until at least 10 a.m. due to a vehicle incident. According to DriveBC, major delays are expected and an assessment is in progress.
⛔UPDATE – #BCHwy5 is open northbound but remains CLOSED southbound between #HopeBC and #Merritt due to a vehicle incident at Ladner Creek Bridge. Assessment in progress. Expect major delays. #Coquihalla
ℹ️For more info: https://t.co/2Ieiz3gFOl pic.twitter.com/tTKc4KmJBJ
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) March 3, 2023
Original
The Coquihalla Highway is closed southbound between Hope and Merritt due to a vehicle incident.
The closure is at Ladner Creek Bridge and all southbound lanes are closed. According to multiple posts in the Coquihalla Road Reports Facebook group, a semi-truck has crashed into a power pole and BC Hydro is on the way. There is no power outage in the area.
⛔ UPDATE – #BCHwy5 is CLOSED in both directions between #Merritt and #HopeBC at Ladner Creek Bridge due to a vehicle incident. #Coquihalla
ℹ️ For more info: https://t.co/2Ieiz3g7YN
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) March 3, 2023
All northbound lanes are open. DriveBC’s next update will come at 8 a.m.
Since Wednesday afternoon, the highway has had a snowfall warning. The warning got extended by Environment Canada on Friday morning as another 5-10 centimetres is expected. Heavy snow is expected to slow down as Friday goes on.
More to come.
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