Coquihalla Highway
Heavy snow making travel to and from Vancouver or Alberta challenging
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – More heavy snow tonight will continue to make road travel out of the Thompson-Okanagan a challenge. The latest special weather statement from Environment says a Pacific frontal system over the B.C. Interior continues to produce snow today, Jan. 18. Forecasters expect up to another 10 centimetres of snow to fall on the Trans...
More snow is on its way; heavy snow for mountain passes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The forecasters at Environment Canada are predicting heavy snow for mountain passes on the Coquihalla and the Hope-Princeton highways. The 20 to 30 centimetres of snow will start to fall late Saturday and continue overnight into Sunday, according to a Special Weather Statement. “A warm front will bring copious amounts of moisture to...
UPDATE: Semi fire on the Coquihalla
MERRITT – A tractor trailer loaded with lumber caught fire this morning Jan. 12 on the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt. The semi was driving southbound at the Comstock exit when it started on fire, according to a tweet from VSA Highway Maintenance. The southbound lanes were closed for a couple hours until the burnt...
One person injured in Okanagan Connector rollover
MERRITT – A rollover early Saturday morning on the Okanagan Connector sent one person to hospital. The crash happened at around 5 a.m. at the junction of 97C and the Coquihalla about 25 kilometres east of Merritt, according to VSA Highway Maintenance. The B.C. Ambulance Service says one patient was taken by ambulance to hospital....
Vehicle fire on Coquihalla
KAMLOOPS – No word from RCMP on the cause of a vehicle fire on the Coquihalla Highway Saturday morning. Traffic was blocked between Kamloops and Merritt at around 9 a.m., as police let the vehicle burn itself out. RCMP haven’t said if anyone was hurt in the blaze. The highway has reopened to traffic with...
Driving mountain passes a challenge; heavy snow falling
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The meteorologists at Environment Canada are predicting a dump of snow on the mountain passes Saturday making the drive to and from the Thompson-Okanagan a challenge this weekend. A disturbance moving south from the northwest is responsible for the heavy snow, according to a special weather statement issued Saturday morning. The Okanagan Connector,...
UDPATE: Coquihalla reopened; delays near Lytton
ROCK SLIDE ON HIGHWAY 1 NEAR LYTTON THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Traffic appars to be moving smoothly on Highway 5 this morning, though travellers on Highway 1 near Lytton should still expect delays. Last night, travellers to and from Vancouver were told to expect major delays after a serious accident closed Highway 5 for several hours due...
More heavy snow expected for mountain passes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A special weather statement has been issued by Environment Canada as the forecast calls for heavy snow in the mountain passes heading to the Lower Mainland this weekend. Meteorologists say the heavy snow overnight Saturday turned to a few flurries as the front moved eastward, but more snow is on the way. A...
Bald tires cause Coq crash
KAMLOOPS - Heavy rains created the conditions for the driver of a Ford Mustang to hydroplane on the highway, causing a crash that sent three people to hospital Thursday evening. Staff Sgt. Doug Aird says a 2011 Ford Mustang was driving in the northbound slow lane near the Inks Lake turn on the Coquihalla Highway....
STAHN: Penalties govern highway speed, not traffic signs
Last week the provincial government announced it was increasing the speed limit on more than 1,300 kilometres of highway. I’m sure the cry around the province was ‘Yay! I get to drive faster… legally.’ But how much does the posted speed limit really affect driver habits? Transportation Minister Todd Stone said more than 85 per...
Spring cleaning on the Coquihalla
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you plan on hitting the highways this week plan for delays as crews clean and fix highways hit hard by a cold, wet winter that left potholes and frost heaves on many roads in the region. Work has already begun on some highways and over the next week drivers can expect to...