B.C. weather: Highway advisories aplenty, travel not recommended in some areas

Motoring around on Christmas Eve? Do yourself a favour and check DriveBC for road conditions, as scores of travel advisories across B.C. are in effect.

As of Saturday at noon, nearly every major highway in the province had some sort of advisory.

For example, the Trans-Canada Highway had 14 advisories alone, with most of them for pooling water or potential freezing rain along various sections in Metro Vancouver.

With a Pacific storm system expected to drench the South Coast with 20-50 mm of rain, and up to 90 mm near the North Shore mountains, DriveBC says motorists in the region can expect rapidly deteriorating conditions.

It also says extreme water pooling is likely due to heavy rainfall, melting snow and ice-clogged drains, adding that travellers should “consider changing travel plans and be prepared for closures on short notice. Travel is not recommended unless essential.”

2:17 Treacherous snowstorms across Canada, U.S. wreak havoc on holiday travel plans

One closure along the Trans-Canada Highway is between Hope and Bridal Falls. The road is closed in both directions because of rapidly deteriorating conditions. Alternate routes are highways 7, 9 and 11.

The Port Mann Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway, which was closed on Friday morning, has reopened to traffic.

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The Alex Fraser Bridge on Highway 91 was closed Friday morning but was reopened to traffic on Saturday morning just after 6 a.m.

The advisories also extend into the Interior but vary per region. They include snowfall warnings and avalanche control work in the Rocky Mountains, and blowing snow and freezing rain for Highway 16 in northern B.C.

On Saturday afternoon, the Trans-Canada Highway was closed to traffic in both directions between Golden and Revelstoke, then Revelstoke to Sicamous due to high avalanche hazard.

The region is also under a winter storm warning, with 5-10 cm expected.

On Friday, the president of the B.C. Trucking Association said that the next 24 hours were going to be incredibly challenging and truckers have already chosen not to be on the roads since their cargo was not essential.

“A lot of loads that had discretion in terms of being able to move either today or wait 24 hours, are just going to wait 24 hours,” Dave Earle told the Canadian Press.

Earle said the association sent notices to members warning them to be prepared for lengthy roadside stoppages.

“There’s a number of vehicles that are pulled over, not just in B.C., it’s right down the corridor, all the way down,” he said.

“I’ve seen pictures as far as southern Oregon, with vehicles just pulled over to the side of the road, recognizing there’s no way that they can travel safely.”

For the latest road conditions throughout the province, visit DriveBC’s website or their Twitter page.