The Coquihalla Highway is open in both directions on Thursday morning, Dec. 22, after being closed for more than 14 hours. (DriveBC)

The Coquihalla Highway is open in both directions on Thursday morning, Dec. 22, after being closed for more than 14 hours. (DriveBC)

Coquihalla Highway reopens after 14 hours of weather-induced mayhem

It’s expected to be sunny and cloudy with a high of -21C on the highway, with snow on the way

The Coquihalla Highway is open Thursday morning (Dec. 22) after a series of crashes closed the thoroughfare for more than 14 hours.

Around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the highway closed between Hope and Merritt due to multiple vehicles incidents and recoveries. It was fully closed in both directions.

While it’s back open Thursday, poor road conditions and remaining traffic congestion is expected to cause major delays.

The highway is forecast to hit a high of -21 C with a mix of sun and cloud and winds reaching 15 kilometres per hour. Even though the temperature is expected to rise to -17 by Thursday night, the highway will likely see another five centimetres of snow, according to Environment Canada.

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