BC Parks to give update on Othello Tunnels closure “in the coming weeks”

BC’s Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park has been closed ever since atmospheric river flooding destroyed the popular Othello Tunnels back in 2021.

The spot is popular with day-trippers from the Lower Mainland, and outdoor enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting word on when the park could reopen.

Now, BC Parks says an update on the park’s status could come this spring.

“BC Parks is hard at work restoring the site. We don’t have an update for you right now, but we hope to have more to share in the coming weeks,” a BC Parks spokesperson told Daily Hive.

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Photos from the site in 2021 showed debris from flooding strewn across the famous trestle bridge. The Ministry of Environment said “major debris” accumulated inside the tunnels, affecting bridge safety and impacting structures that prevent rocks falling from the mountains from hitting visitors. In addition, the flooding eroded local access roads, trails within the park, and the tunnels themselves.

It was closed summer of 2022 and 2023, when BC Parks said an engineering consultant had done an initial geotechnical assessment of infrastructure damage, but further assessment was needed before rebuilding could begin.

The Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park website says the park will remain closed due to storm and flood damage for the remainder of 2024.