Province restricts commercial trucks from using far left lane on section of Coquihalla Highway

The Ministry of Transportation is launching a new pilot program this week in order to reduce the number of accidents and road closures during the winter months on the Coquihalla Highway.

The No Trucks in the Left Lane pilot program will restrict commercial vehicles from using the far left lane on the Coquihalla Snowshed Hill between Box Canyon and Zopkios, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure's website.

According to Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement data, this area is where trucks spin out the most.

Last winter, 33 out of 35 extended road closures on the Coquihalla Highway involved a commercial vehicle, the ministry says.

"At times this meant commercial vehicles were blocking the highway until they could either be towed away or equipped with chains."

The hope is to extend the program to selected routes in the Interior. The government hopes to maintain traffic flow, plowing operations and reduce the amount of time it takes to re-establish the flow of traffic after a collision closure.

The province recently built a chain up area in Box Canyon for commercial vehicles to use when snow falls on the Coquihalla. This area can hold up to 70 commercial vehicles at a time.

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