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Vehicle crash on Coquihalla Highway cleared

Coquihalla fully reopens

UPDATE: 12:10 p.m.

The minor crash on the Coquihalla Highway Saturday morning has since been cleared and all lanes have now reopened. 


UPDATE: 11 a.m.

A single-vehicle crash has closed the left lane of southbound traffic on the Coquihalla Highway, at the Zopkios brake check, Saturday morning. 

A highway camera in the area shows the dark-coloured vehicle apparently high-centred on the snowy median. A highway vehicle is on scene, alerting motorists to the crash. 

Wet snow is falling in the area. 


UPDATE: 10:45 a.m.

There has been another crash on the Coquihalla Highway near the Great Bear Snowshed Saturday morning. 

DriveBC is reporting a crash in the southbound lanes of the high-mountain pass near the Snowshed, just after 10 a.m.

Crews are en route to the scene of the crash and DriveBC warns of delays for drivers, but it's unclear if the highway has been closed.

The highway was reportedly extremely slippery overnight, and about 12 centimetres of snow fell. Wet snow continues to fall Saturday morning. 

Castanet will have more updates as they become available. 


ORIGINAL: 9 a.m.

The Coquihalla Highway was hit with significant snow overnight, causing slippery conditions for motorists. 

About 12 centimetres of snow fell on the Coquihalla Summit through the evening, and drivers reported icy conditions near the Great Bear Snowshed. 

The large hill just east of the Snowshed, colloquially known as The Smasher, was an "ice rink" through the night, and commercial trucks and passenger vehicles were having trouble staying on the road. Northbound commercial vehicles were required to put on chains at the Box Canyon Chain-up area.

Saturday morning, the snow appears to have stopped on the Coquihalla, but foggy conditions remain near the summit, and visibility is limited. Temperatures remain below freezing and drivers should be prepared for slippery conditions.

Meanwhile, the Pennask Summit on the Okanagan Connector appears relatively clear Saturday morning, after no snow fell on the area overnight. 

There is a 40 per cent chance of flurries on both high-elevation mountain passes Saturday morning.



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