On nearly the second anniversary of the historic flooding that hit many parts of B.C., the province has announced the permanent repairs to the Coquihalla Highway are now finished.
Two years ago in mid-November, the once-in-a-century rain event caused significant flooding and washouts on Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt, damaging bridges and infrastructure.
On Wednesday, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming announced Highway 5 is now “more resilient and reliable” than ever before.
The repaired highway features six new “climate-resilient” bridges that have replaced those lost in November 2021, and were finished two months ahead of schedule.
The new permanent bridges are located at Bottletop Bridge, 50 kilometres south of Merritt, Jessica Bridge, 20 kiometres north of Hope, and Juliet Bridges, 53 kilometres south of Merritt.
“Climate-resilient highways are crucial for B.C. The province has improved infrastructure to handle more frequent extreme weather events in the future,” Fleming said.
“We are honouring the efforts of British Columbians who worked to rebuild after the atmospheric river event, two years ago.”
According to Fleming, the bridges are built to withstand high water levels by using deep-pile footings and longer spans. Large Rock protection has been added to protect bridges from erosion and scour.
Trees and small vegetation have also been planted nearby to encourage new plant growth and to support the overall restoration of aquatic and land habitats.
The government said it is also making progress across southwestern B.C. in other areas that were damaged by the historic flooding.
Two of the three bridge replacements on Highway 1 are underway in Nicomen and Falls Creek. Construction of the third bridge, in Tank Hill, will begin next year. The government is also working with local First Nation communities to fully rebuild Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge.
On Vancouver Island, repairs at the Tunnel Hill section of the Malahat have been completed.
More than 300 workers moved more than 400,000 cubic metres of gravel, rock and other material to repair Highway 5.
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