Starting Thu Mar 9 at 9:00 AM PST until Thu Mar 9 at 4:00 PM PST. Winds light and variable. Established in 1986 and clocking in at a respectable 159 hectares, Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park is a truly magical place. Road closed. British Columbia is grappling with the aftermath of intense rainfall and floods, which washed away parts of major highways and forced people to evacuate from affected locations in the southern part of the province. Youve probably driven it a few times, whether as a commuter or a BC traveller, or TONS of times as a commercial driver. The Coquihalla Highway then enters the city of Merritt, which is accessed by two interchanges, both of which also provide access to Highway 5A, Highway 97C and Highway 8. There are many tools engineered into the design of the Coquihalla Highway to reduce the likelihood of avalanches affecting the route, which is why the Coquihalla sees less frequent closures for avalanche hazard and avalanche control than many other mountain passes in the province. 3 Years High 2C. Also if the steepest part of the Coquihalla between Hope to Merritt is the Smasher, is there an equivalent between Merritt and Kamloops? The road is named after Coquihalla River. High -2C. Without your consent employers will not be able to contact with job offers, would you like to opt-in now? OBEY ALL SIGNAGE. Highway 5, southbound. It's called British Columbia Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway). Safe travels. an accident) or some other factor? Highway 5 continues east for 7 km (4 mi) concurrent with Highways 1 and 97 through Kamloops. Winds light and variable. The travel time between Hope to Kamloops is approximately 2 hours. Go prepared, or go home. Low -4C. Forecast issued: 3:45 PM PST Monday 6 February 2023. Coquihalla Summit to Othello Road Pipeline Construction July 2021 - September 2023. Now they just drop bombs from the helicopters in the exact location of the avalanche hazard. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall of 2-3cm. This stretch of road, which carries 97 South and 5 North on the same lanes (and vice versa), is the only wrong-way concurrency in British Columbia. Long steep grades will have large units using brakes and pulling hard going up hill. Terms | People often leave after work not realizing that as the sun goes down the temperature drops, and the storm starts. Here is a link with more information on BC highways and cycling restrictions: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/cycling/cycling-regulations-restrictions-rules. We cant say for sure however, we can venture a guess that this term was coined by commercial truck operators who experienced one or more vehicle incidents at the summit/tunnel location. minor road condition | last updated Sat Mar 4 at 6:31 AM PST. Mine Creek Hwy 5 southbound, at Mine Creek Rd, looking south. Crews will have cleared the road, and youll be fresh., Davis goes on to say that the weather on the Coq, and in fact all mountain roads, can change in 20 minutes or less, and all the best forecasts can be wrong you just dont know.. Thanks for reading. I will be driving that route every other month during the non-snow tire months. Wow, is David Poile ever rolling out the red carpet for his GM successor Barry Trotz. Wait until morning. Good info, glad I dont have to drive it this winter (no tourists or school trips!) After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately 19km (12mi). Variably cloudy with snow showers. There isnt actually a single number to answer the question, because freezing levels very so much in the mountains around the Coquihalla. Traffic volume on this section of highway is low compared to the Coquihalla and Kamloops sections of Highway 5. The ascent is particularly steep after passing . Families headed for ski trips, folks on business, and of course the inept holiday traveller so well-satirized by Clark Griswold in National Lampoons Vacation series. 1,150mm is a measly 1 meter and 15 cm . It may take several hours of travel time and a hundred dollars in burnt fuel to obtain a jerrycan of rescue. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; southlake carroll basketball. Highway 97C. It is the highest point on the highway between the cities of Hope and Merritt. Think again. government says Highway 1 south of Hope should be reopened this. Winds E at 10 to 15 km/h. [11] Phase 2 between Merritt and Kamloops opened in September 1987, re-routing Highway 5, while Phase 3 was opened in October 1990 and designated as Highway 97C. They chose to confront the Coq without a full tank, not realizing that idling a car for warmth hour after hour depletes an already dangerously low fuel tank. There are remnants of a few structures which might be visible along this stretch: Avalanche bunkers where avalanche techs might have set up and used older military style explosives to trigger avalanches in the area; avalanche benches which are installed to stop the flow of snow onto the highway; or there is also the remnants of an old telecommunications gondola, which carried service workers up to the peak of Dog Mountain back in the day. Highways 97C and 5A share the 28 km (17 mi) long route between Aspen Grove and Lower Nicola, where Highway 5A diverges immediately east and Highway 8 begins. Larson Hill N Hwy 5 at Larson Hill, 36 km south of Merritt, looking to the north. This could include surveying, flagging and staking the right-of-way, mobilization of crews and equipment, preparing the right-of-way, clearing and grading, delivery and staging . From 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM PST on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A single-vehicle crash has closed the left lane of southbound traffic on the Coquihalla Highway, at the Zopkios brake check, Saturday morning. Now that you are a Highway thru Hell fan you might be interested in some of our Highway Thru Hell content: https://www.tranbc.ca/2012/11/01/5-things-to-learn-from-watching-highway-thru-hell/ Built to enhance regional tourism and to lighten traffic on the busy trucking routes, the 303 km, 4-lane highway has 3 segments. Chance of snow 60%. Privacy | Britton Creek N Hwy 5, by Britton Creek Rest Area northbound turnoff, looking north. Coquihalla conditions today. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Pothole Lake East Highway 97C Weather Cameras (Okanagan Connector), near Pothole Lake about 7 km east of Aspen Grove, looking east. Single lane alternating traffic will be in effect. Highway 5 continues east for 12km (7.5mi) concurrently with Highways1 and 97, through Kamloops. Highway 5. NO highway should be demonized because of the idiots who dont know what they are doing. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h. CDL Grad, No Experience Until Sun Mar 5 at 3:00 AM PST. Chance of snow 40%. C in cold winter weather. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Davis strongly discourages driving at night. Do you know any spectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! Variably cloudy with snow showers. Mostly cloudy. https://www.tranbc.ca/2013/01/09/highway-thru-hell-the-complete-tranbc-interview-series/, why is a portion of the highway called the smasher?. Copyright 2023, Province of British Columbia. [citation needed] As a result of the washout events, the Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopters completed rescue evacuations of stranded motorists on the highway. Chance of snow 50%. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. I think that publishing the annual VKT would be more meaningful to the general public. Hi there this information is availabel via the DataBC DriveBC catalogue here:https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/historical-drivebc-events The ascent to the Coquihalla Summit is very steep, especially from the south. Then partly to mostly cloudy overnight. The Coquihalla approximately traces through the Cascade Mountainsthe route of the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. 61 km (38 mi) and five interchanges later, the Coquihalla enters the city of Merritt at its south junction with Highway 5A and Highway 97C. 6-11 Months Hi Sarah, Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! 1. Highway 5 re-enters the city at the Rayleigh community, where it passes two busy at-grade, but not signallized intersections; traffic volumes steadily decrease as it gets farther from the core area of Kamloops. Winds light and variable. The 52-year-old has built up such a reputation that truckers say when his green rig shows up, there is nothing to worry about anymore. premier", "New route changed the face of the province forever", "Construction of the Coquihalla: Still Amazing After 30 Years", "B.C. While many other service providers come and go, Davis remains. Some of the old railroad grade is now part of the Trans-Canada Trail network, including the Othello Tunnels of the Coquihalla River section, which are accessible via exits from the Coquihalla Highway. The Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area is located at the top of the pass on the Coquihalla Highway, approximately 45km (28mi) north of Hope. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. 19962023 bchighway.com - All Rights Reserved. Thanks for your comment! I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him on this very topic. Despite the entire route being signed as part of the Yellowhead Highway, the portion of Highway 5 south of Kamloops is also known as the Coquihalla Highway while the northern portion is known as the Southern Yellowhead Highway. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape with summer coolant and good brakes and tires. Environment Canada is calling for 15 to 25 centimetres of snow on the Coquihalla on Monday night along the section between Hope and Merritt. You can only add up to 5 vehicles to your picks. According to Sto;lo oral history, the skw'exweq (water babies or naiads, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close by the rock, would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch the salmon. REDUCED SPEEDS IN EFFECT. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Watch premium and official videos free online. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. So how does one ensure survival in such an epic struggle? This information is collected by ICBC heres their contact information: https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/contact-us/Pages/default.aspx. Once the roads are passable, Davis or one of his drivers will come back with gas, but be prepared to pay. It's 7 kms from Hope (the Shakespearean name is reminiscent of the Kettle Valley Railway which used such names). [8] The project was divided into three phases, with Phase 1 being the 115km (71mi) section between Hope and Merritt, Phase 2 being the 80km (50mi) section between Merritt and Kamloops, and Phase 3 being a 108km (67mi) branch between Merritt and Peachland, south of Kelowna. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure shares with you what we do and why we do it. Alternate route via Hwy 1 and Hwy 3. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h.