One of B.C.’s most important transportation routes has reopened after suffering major damage in November’s storms.
The Coquihalla Highway is open but restricted to commercial vehicles and inter-city buses, and will have sections with reduced lanes and limited speeds. Vehicles will be limited to 60 km/h in two-lane sections and 100 km/h in four-lane sections.
“Expect extended construction zones with reduced speeds. No passing in construction zones. Limited facilities with no power. Watch for traffic control and ongoing construction,” DriveBC said in a Tweet on Monday.
The route, which is the main link between the Lower Mainland and the Interior, has been closed since it suffered significant damage from multiple slides and washouts following a powerful atmospheric river that hit B.C. in mid-November. About 20 sites were impacted along the route, with about 130 kilometres needing repairs.
Initial time estimates had the reopening pegged for January. In a Monday morning news release, the Ministry of Transportation said it took more than 300 workers using 200 pieces of equipment to move more than 400,000 cubic metres of gravel, rock, and other material to repair and reopen the highway.
“Having the use of the Coquihalla Highway brings more predictability to the movement of goods through British Columbia,” Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association said in a news release. “This an important step toward restoring our supply chain, and our members appreciate the extraordinary efforts of everyone involved.”
With most commercial vehicles now moving to Highway 5, travel restrictions will be lifted on Highway 3 at 8 a.m. on Tuesday to allow the route between Hope and Princeton to be used for non-essential travel.
Travel restrictions have also been lifted from Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet. However, vehicles more than 14,500 kilograms GVW are still not permitted on that section.
– with files from Simon Little