highway

Safer driving on Trans Canada near Cherry Creek with new left-turn lane

KAMLOOPS - Locals, tourists and commercial drivers can now feel safer turning left onto Highway 1 at Gardi Road near Cherry Creek thanks to a newly built left-turn lane. “Left-turn lanes have been proven to reduce collisions by eliminating the conflict between turning and through traffic,” Minister of Transportation Todd Stone said in a media...

Two separate crashes close Coquihalla south of Merritt

MERRITT - Two separate crashes on the Coquihalla Highway have shut down the route this morning from Merritt to Hope. The first crash occurred around 9:45 a.m. at the Coldwater Interchange, exit 286, at the south end of Merritt, closing down the southbound lanes. No detours are listed by Drive B.C. and an estimated time...

Construction sign heist hits North Okanagan highway

LUMBY - Police are scratching their heads after numerous traffic signs went missing from a highway construction project in the North Okanagan. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says Controlling Traffic Limited has reported roughly 30 signs stolen from an area on Highway 6 between Lumby and Lavington where paving work is being done. The signs, which...

Semi trailer flips and loses load on Trans Canada in Shuswap

CHASE - All that’s left is a small amount of diesel on Highway 1 after a tractor trailer flipped near Chase yesterday evening. The semi flipped around 6:45 p.m., Aug. 19, near Little River Road, according to a RCMP media release. The Trans Canada was closed for several hours and re-opened around 11:30 p.m. Witnesses...

Province’s new Stickle Road proposal fails to impress Vernon officials

VERNON - Better, but not good enough is the message Vernon council sent to the Ministry of Transportation during a presentation about a new idea for improving the Stickle Road intersection. Plans for a right-in, right-out only access to and from Stickle Road on Highway 97 just north of the city were scrapped in May...

UPDATE: Highway between Merritt and Spences Bridge reopens following rock slide

MERRITT - The highway between Spences Bridge and Merritt has reopened completely following a rock slide yesterday afternoon. According to Drive B.C., the slide took place around 12 p.m. June 26 on Highway 8, at Voght Street, about 45 kilometres west of Merritt. It originially blocked traffic in both directions about 45 kilometres west of...

Vernon city council prepares decades ahead for future highway bypass

VERNON - It wouldn’t be built, or required, for another 25 to 65 years, but Vernon council is starting to plan for a potential bypass around the city. It’s been talked about for years, but today’s council is taking a firm stance on the need to start planning, and protecting a corridor for it, now....

HELSTON: Improving Stickle Road needs to be a two-way street

Anyone who’s waited five minutes to make a risky, left-hand break for it off Stickle Road onto Highway 97 towards Vernon knows something needs to change before someone gets killed. Agreeing there’s a problem is the easy part. Finding a solution is where the road rage sets in. Right now, we’ve got the Ministry of...

UPDATE: Legion president injured in Highway 97 crash

KELOWNA – A car crash on Highway 97 near Old Vernon Road in Kelowna this morning seriously injured three people, including two members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Branch 26 president Syd Pratt and member Frank Truman were on their way to a Flag Day event at the Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, Lynda Wachter the Legion's manager...

UPDATE: SUV left precariously perched; car crash on Trans Canada in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - A crash between two Alberta drivers held up traffic in the westbound lane of the Trans Canada east of the Peterson Creek Bridge in Kamloops during the morning commute. Capt. Troy Grant with Kamloops Fire Rescue says a Ford SUV and a Jeep collided on Hwy 1 near the Yellowhead off-ramp after the...

VIDEO: Car on fire halts highway traffic near Armstrong

ARMSTRONG - A vehicle on fire in the middle of Highway 97 A near Armstrong tied up traffic for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, just north of Eagle Rock Road, about 1:30 p.m. April 22. Fire chief Ian Cummings says a Volkswagen was completely engulfed...

UPDATE: Highway 97 A between Grindrod and Sicamous reopens with delays

GRINDROD - Highway 97A is back open following a mud slide Sunday night, but travellers can still expect delays Tuesday.  The road will be open to single lane alternating traffic Tuesday, Feb. 17 while crews conduct maintenance work. The work is being conducted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. according to Drive B.C. and travellers...

Spring is in the air

TEMPERATURES TO WARM, RAIN TO FALL THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you’ve been dreaming of spring weather, this weekend could be your dream come true with temperatures hovering near the double digits, and bringing rain. Lots of rain. Wednesday temperatures will hover just above seasonal normals of 1 Celsius, according to Environment Canada, but by Friday will...

Heavy snow and freezing rain on the way

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A winter storm is bringing heavy snow to much of the province today and tonight and the Southern Interior is no exception. Environment Canada says to expect heavy snow on Highway 1 from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass—up to 25 centimetres by Friday morning—and on Highway 3 from Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass....