Drivers heading to and from the Lower Mainland and the Interior this August long weekend are being warned of heavy delays on the Coquihalla Highway.
Due to ongoing repairs on the major highway, following last year’s rainstorms, a travel advisory remains in effect between Exit 183, Othello Road and Exit 290, Merritt, for 115.9 kilometres.
Drive BC says heavy traffic is expected this weekend until Aug. 1, and drivers can expect congestion and delays of more than two hours during peak travel times.
RCMP will be enforcing speed zones and drivers should watch for crews and signage.
On Thursday, the provincial government announced that a $4.6-million repair contract for the Othello section of the highway was awarded to Emil Anderson Construction and the Chawathil First Nation.
Get breaking National news
The joint venture to repair the section is expected to start in early August, and should be completed by fall. The section is located around three kilometres north of the junction of highways 3 and 5.
Around 460 metres of the southbound lanes were washed out. Those will be replaced, along with upsizing culverts, widening shoulders and reinstating roadside barriers and spillways.
— with files from Doyle Potenteau
Comments