Repairs of Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt expected ‘to take months’
The Coquihalla highway between Hope and Merritt is expected to remain closed for quite a long time.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Interior Region representative Paula Cousins, said Thursday that initial damage assessments have been done on the Coquihalla, and that temporary repairs are expected to take months.
“Our crews are preparing site plans to begin temporary repairs while engineering procurement and construction experts work to determine the best and fastest way to restore the corridor to its pre-event conditions,” said Cousins.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming noted that there are five areas of concern along Highway 5 where the weather caused significant damage to the road.
“It would be very difficult in a short period of time, impossible really, to restore it to the degree of functionality that we’re used to on the [Coquihalla],” said Fleming.
“So really the assessments that are going on right now with our geotechs, with our engineers, with road builders and others that are involved, is to come up with a plan about what a shorter term restoration of the Coquihalla might look like, and [while being mindful of weather conditions], what kinds of temporary fixes and alternative routes we might be able to restore on the Coke and what timeline. So we’ll have updates, but this week it’s unknown.”
It was also noted by Fleming that the temporary repairs to the Coquihalla is part of a two stage plan to build back better and stronger, but in the meantime the focus needs to be on reopening the corridor as soon as possible.
Another shocking visual of the damage to Coquihalla Highway from Sunday’s landslides.
Spotted just south of Sowaqua Creek on our helicopter ride back from #HopeBC. #bcfloods #bcstorms @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/nLzobuv0gs
— Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) November 18, 2021
The minister said Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton is still on track to reopen to very limited traffic by end of this week and they are working out a traffic plan to allow for essential goods and services to use the route.
Cousins added that railway assessments have begun in the Fraser Canyon to prepare for reconstruction planning, as that corridor also suffered significant damage over the past several days. The timing for restoring temporary access there will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Cousins also said Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge is suspected of having experienced the most extensive damage of all the roadways, and a survey of the site will be done as soon as conditions allow to better understand the extent of the damage.
The BC RCMP’s Division Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) raised it’s activation level to correspond with the declaration of a state of emergency and to ensure resources could be dispatched to support communities in need.
“As well, the DEOC will continue to work closely with our provincial and federal partners, along with the Canadian Armed Forces, to ensure we are aligned with their priorities,” said BC RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts.
The number of fatalities liked to the weather event remains at one, though four other people are missing near Duffy Lake on Highway 99, and the RCMP expects the death toll to climb in the coming days.
Roberts also stated that people who have been evacuated due to flooding should not be returning home until the local authorities have confirmed it’s safe to do so and the evacuation orders have been lifted. She added that police remain stationed in those communities to monitor the situation, and to date there have been no reports of criminality in evacuated areas.
The province is working on a travel plan to provide limited access, particularly for essential traffic like commercial vehicles, to be able to move throughout the process without disrupting the repair work. That order has not been issued as of yet, but Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says this is one of several potential orders the province is exploring under the State of Emergency.