Several highways closed in B.C., winter weather warnings in effect
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2019 18:24:27 +0000
Drivers travelling in B.C. Wednesday may want to take note of several highway closures and winter weather warnings.
There are significant delays on the Coquihalla Highway in multiple locations Wednesday because of crashes. The northbound lane is closed between Highway 3 and Highway 97C for 109 kilometres, from Hope to Merritt.
Emergency vehicles are on site. There is no word yet on the extent of injuries but drivers are being warned to expect major delays, and consider taking Highway 3 instead.
There is also a crash southbound at Exit 250, 31 kilometres north of the Coquihalla summit. Emergency crews are blocking the road, and drivers should expect delays of around 30 minutes.
Merritt RCMP confirmed officers responded to three crashes on the Coquihalla Wednesday, but did not have any information about what happened.
On Vancouver Island, drivers should expect delays on Highway 4, at Toquart Bay Road, 20 kilometres east of the southern boundary of Pacific Rim National Park because of a washout.
Highway 1 was closed in both directions at Toll Road near Yale after a rock slide but it has since reopened.
Meantime, Environment and Climate Change Canada has posted several weather warnings for parts of B.C.
There are snowfall warnings for the Boundary, Kootenay Lake, and West Kootenay regions, while a winter storm warning has been posted for East Columbia, West Columbia, and the Shuswap regions.
Highway 3 from Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass could receive up to 20 centimetres of snow. The agency warns that there may be hazardous driving conditions in the mountains.
Highway 1 from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass could see up to 40 centimetres of snow before the winter storm eases Wednesday evening.
The agency says rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.
ticrawford@postmedia.com