Winter-like driving conditions suddenly descended on highways between B.C.’s coast and interior, creating travel headaches Thursday.
Numerous serious accidents took turns shutting down routes, with all three highways, 1, 3, and 5 closed north and east of Hope, at one point, all at the same time Thursday evening.
Snowfall prompted renewed warnings about dangerous travel overnight on most routes.
“Travel Advisory in effect between Hope and Merritt on Highway 5 due to blowing snow, limited visibility and slippery sections at higher elevations. Please use extreme caution while travelling,” a notice on Drivebc.ca said.
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Highway 5, the Coquihalla, between Hope and Merritt reopened around 10 p.m. with speeds reduced from 120 km/h down to 60 km/h due to conditions.
The Okanagan Connector, Hwy 97C, reopened to alternating traffic after a six hour closure due to a crash near Aspen Grove.
Thick black ice is reported on 97C between Merritt and the Okanagan, with caution advised for those taking the route overnight.
Highway 3 was shut down due to a crash west of Princeton, but reopened at 10:15 p.m. with an advisory.
Accidents between Yale and Boston Bar closed Hwy 1 for a time, but after the route reopened around 9 p.m., a crash in Chase, east of Kamloops, closed down the highway again at 10 p.m.
The snow is expected to begin tapering off at midnight.