BBOT Applauds Work on Re-Opening Supply Chains as Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) Re-Opens to Commercial Vehicles


The Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) has reopened between Hope and Merritt to essential commercial vehicles only after extensive repairs to damage caused by the November 14 landslides.   As of Monday, December 20, Highway 5 is available to commercial vehicles with a minimum licensed gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 11,794 kilograms.

The Burnaby Board of Trade would like to applaud the work of the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure on the quick reopening of this essential supply route, which typically handles up to three-quarters of the trucking traffic heading into and out of our region.

The BBOT would also like to thank the many people and companies who worked on the repairs, and thank BBOT member the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association for their leadership on this monumental challenge.

With most commercial vehicles moving to Highway 5, travel restrictions will be lifted from Highway 3 at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 21, allowing the route between Hope and Princeton to be used for non-essential travel. Travel restrictions have also been lifted from Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet. However, vehicles over 14,500 kilograms GVW are still not permitted on this section of Highway 99.

This reopening comes after work to repair a number of other highways, including Highway 3, as well as tremendous work done by another BBOT member, Trans Mountain, to protect the integrity of the pipeline that supplies vital fuel to our region.  On December 5, Trans Mountain restarted its pipeline after a pre-emptive shutdown was enacted in advance of the record rains and landslides in November.

More Info

For information on highway travel restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/natural-disaster/support/restrictions

For updated highway information, visit: www.DriveBC.ca