Coquihalla Highway set to reopen to essential traffic today

KAMLOOPS – The Coquihalla Highway will reopen to commercial trucks and intercity buses today.

The highway was closed November 14 between Merritt and Hope as a series of major rain storms moved across the region. The atmospheric river event damaged more than 20 sites along a 130-kilometre stretch of the Coquihalla.

The damage included five bridge spans that were either collapsed or completely washed away.

The provincial government originally estimated the road could be reopened in the spring. Then the estimate was moved up to January. But last week, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming announced the main highway connecting the lower mainland with the Interior, would reopen today to essential traffic.

The closure of the Coquihalla, along with other highways, stopped the flow of goods from the Port of Vancouver to the rest of Canada. The closure slowed the shipment of items across the country during the holiday season and exposed a major weakness in Canada’s supply chain.

It’s not clear when the highway will be opened again to passenger traffic.

The province hasn’t said how much money is being spent to rebuild the damaged areas of the road but the federal government has already agreed to provide some funding.