Coquihalla Highway closure leaves people stranded in cars overnight (PHOTOS)
It’s been a long night for some weary travellers. And it isn’t over yet.
There was no highway access overnight from the Lower Mainland to the BC interior due to poor road conditions and avalanche risk as Highway 99 and all routes east of Hope had shut down.
Highway 99 remains closed due to a high avalanche risk near Pemberton.
See also
- Crazy video shows what happens on BC's highways "when things go sideways" in winter (VIDEO)
- There's currently no major highway access to the BC Interior due to snowfall
As for the Coquihalla Highway, after it was closed yesterday due to poor road conditions from heavy snowfall, it reopened late in the afternoon.
However, it wasn’t long before it was closed again, as freezing rain essentially turned the highway into a sheet of ice.
Unfortunately, there were already hundreds of cars in both directions on the highway by this time, and with nowhere to go, people spent the night in their cars.
As of 8:30 am, the Coquihalla Highway is still closed and DriveBC doesn’t expect the road will be open until noon today.
The other main routes out of the Lower Mainland – Highway 1 and Highway 3 – were also closed due to avalanche hazard. But as of just after 8 am, Highway 3 opened from Hope to Manning Park Lodge, but delays can expected due to congestion.
OPEN – #BCHwy3 Open from #Hope to #ManningParkLodge due to earlier avalanche hazard.
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 10, 2017
And as of 8:30 Friday morning, the Coquihalla was still closed, due to a vehicle accident.
Update – #BCHwy5 Closed from #HopeBC to #MerrittBC due to vehicle incident, Estimated time of opening 12 noon, next update at 10 am.
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 10, 2017
In the meantime, those stranded overnight on the mountain passes, shared their experience on social media.
#BCHwy5 #Coquihalla remains closed in both dir’s from #HopeBC to #Merritt due to multiple vehicle incidents. ETO is 10am, update at 8am.
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 10, 2017
#BCHwy5 #coquihalla still stuck in the same spot since 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/BGJCe51fo6
— Katie Scozzafava (@KatieScozzafav1) February 10, 2017
#coquihalla Looks like we bunked in for the night. Sleeping in a a vehicle parked on a hill of ice. #BCHwy5. pic.twitter.com/YER0yvOjZe
— Darrell Desjardin (@Djsilvecreek) February 10, 2017
Thousands stuck on the #coquihalla for the night but what do we have here? Do the right thing @TimHortons pic.twitter.com/gclBVYywbU
— Jesse Wheeler (@Igotheap) February 10, 2017
Lights are going off. I think we’re all thinking the same, we’re here for the night. #coquihalla #DriveBC pic.twitter.com/bcQfEAGG83
— Cassidy Carew (@cassidylee8) February 10, 2017
At a complete standstill 35kms S Merritt. HELP!! #Coquihalla straight ice. pic.twitter.com/y5mWfcgDKo
— Cassidy Carew (@cassidylee8) February 10, 2017
#Coquihalla NB stopped before Coldwater exit 256 pic.twitter.com/Nn1hTwCa5h
— Katie Scozzafava (@KatieScozzafav1) February 10, 2017