Highway 3 closed for hours eastbound near Princeton due to ‘spun-out commercial vehicles’

Highway 3 was closed to eastbound traffic southwest of Princeton, B.C., on Sunday afternoon due to “spun-out commercial vehicles.”

DriveBC initially closed the route in both directions around 12:30 p.m., saying the crashes occurred between Garret Road and Copper Mountain Road, about 34 kilometres out of Princeton.

The route reopened to westbound traffic around 2 p.m. but did not reopen to eastbound traffic until after 6 p.m.

Video posted to social media showed several semi-trucks crashed on the side of the highway.

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The crashes came amid heavy snowfall on the route.

2:20 First look at Coquihalla repairs

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for the area, with up to 10 centimetres forecast for the highway from Hope to Princeton.

DriveBC said there was no timeline for the route to reopen, and no detour available.

Highway 3 has been limited to essential and commercial vehicle traffic since reopening in the wake of November’s damaging storms. It is currently the only truck route connecting the Lower Mainland and Southern Interior.

The route has seen a major increase in truck traffic, with both Highway 1 and the Coquihalla Highway closed through the Southern Interior, as crews work to rebuild them following landslides.