Coquihalla to open Monday, Hwy 3 restrictions to end next day

• Hwy 5 to open Monday
• Hwy 3 to open 24 hours later
• Transport Minister praises 'remarkable engineering feat'

The Coquihalla highway (Highway 5) will reopen to commercial traffic on Dec.20, after extraordinary 24/7 efforts by crews since the historic atmospheric river event caused massive damage Nov. 14 and 15.

The milestone comes much earlier than the initial late-January and then early-January estimations from the ministry of transportation.

It means Highway 3 will open to all motorists as the bulk of truck traffic moving between the Lower Mainland and Interior is expected to switch back to the Coquihalla.

The ban on non-essential travel on Highway 3 will end 24 hours after the Coquihalla reopens. The precise time for that is not yet known.

Speaking at a media briefing Wednesday, Transport Minister Rob Fleming called the around-the-clock efforts to complete temporary repairs to Highway 5, “what may well be one of the most remarkable engineering feats in recent memory.”

Over 20 separate sites were impacted by the floods and landslides in mid-November as multiple sections of the highway and bridge structures along a 130-kilometre stretch were destroyed.

“The response by maintenance contractors, sub-contractors and engineers to get the Coquihalla open is as unprecedented as the storms that damaged it in the first place,” Fleming said.

Not the Coquihalla as we know it

A Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) official said while they are thrilled the Coquihalla is set to open Monday, things are far from normal.

“It is not the Coquihalla as we know it,” Paula Cousins with MOTI, Southern Interior, said. “When open, some sections will be open to two lanes only with one lane in each direction. There will be several speed reductions … and it will take up to an additional 45 minutes to get through this section in optimal weather conditions.”

Cousins said maps will be published to show truck drivers the various compromised sections on the route. It is not known when permanent repairs to the Coquihalla will be done next year or the final cost.

Fleming called the opening a significant milestone for supply chains that will have economic benefit for B.C. and the rest of the country.

Hwy 3 is tough to traverse

Asked about what sort of travel was to be recommended on Highway 3 as the non-essential ban is lifted, Fleming advised the public not to travel unless necessary.

“While this is good news in terms of mobility, we have to be mindful of a number of things. Highway 3 is a tough highway to traverse for passenger vehicles in winter conditions. It’s steep, it’s windy, there are work crews out there. We hope volumes are not excessive.”

He said he hoped and expected the public to pay attention to public health advice to keep gatherings small.

“You should maybe stick with the plans you had to make since November 15.”