He possesses astonishing insight into the world of transportation and heavy rescue. The B.C. The numbers are in general much higher than the corresponding 3.3 million KM quoted for the Coquihalla. Prepare for the seasons worst with our winter driving guide. The ascent is particularly steep after passing . Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Do you guys know the annual snowfall for Thar peak? Careful preparation for your trip will ensure that if, and when, things do go wrong, you are prepared for the situation. What are the bunker looking things on the side of the highway? Over heating vehicles is a common occurrence. The ascent to the Coquihalla Summit is very steep, especially from the south. Cookie Policy | Our local avalanche staff has let us know that while we dont have a weather station there, we do have the following info to share: Could you provide on how many times the Coquihalla has been closed during the winter months and whether that closure was due to an incident (i.e. But how well do you know this stretch of highway? The next issue of Driving.ca's Blind-Spot Monitor will soon be in your inbox. The toll booth once marked the halfway point of the formerly tolled Hope-to-Merritt portion of the highway. 1,150mm is a measly 1 meter and 15 cm . 13 km (8 mi) north of the snow shed, after passing through another interchange and the 1244 m (4,147 ft) Coquihalla Pass, Highway 5 reaches the former toll booth; it was the only highway in British Columbia to have tolls. as rain batters province, leading to mudslides and flood warnings", "Relentless rain causing flooding, road closures and evacuations across B.C. Hello Randall thanks for connecting with us here. 5 day. OBEY ALL SIGNAGE. Also I read that Surrey Lake Summit was formerly known as Clapperton Creek Summit. There are remnants of a few structures which might be visible along this stretch: Avalanche bunkers where avalanche techs might have set up and used older military style explosives to trigger avalanches in the area; avalanche benches which are installed to stop the flow of snow onto the highway; or there is also the remnants of an old telecommunications gondola, which carried service workers up to the peak of Dog Mountain back in the day. Chance of snow 40%. Daviss trucks never leave the yard without stopping in the nearby town of Hope to fill up on gas, and there are always food and survival provisions on-board. Also if the steepest part of the Coquihalla between Hope to Merritt is the Smasher, is there an equivalent between Merritt and Kamloops? I would appreciate your clarification of this statistic. Our BC HighwayCams also have a weather feature on each cam which will give you an idea of forecasted weather along the route. This year we were way below average, receiving only 674cm of snowfall. Highway 97C travels on this freeway 82 km (51 mi) northwest to Aspen Grove, where it converges with Highway 5A. Winds light and variable. Othello Road Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, Hope, British Columbia V0X 1L1 Canada Full view Best nearby Restaurants 30 within 5 kms Home Restaurant 670 2.7 km$$ - $$$ American Diner Canadian Starbucks 6 2.9 kmAmerican Spice & Grill 2 2.9 km See all Attractions 19 within 10 kms Kawkawa Lake 4 1.2 kmBodies of Water Nature & Wildlife Areas Winds SE at 10 to 15 km/h. 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I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him on this very topic. Winds E at 10 to 15 km/h. A diamond interchange at Exit 336 provides an important turn off to Logan Lake on Highway 97D and Lac le Jeune. Highway 5, southbound. 2023 Driving, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. 2. [11][14] Subsequently, the toll station and signs were dismantled. It is very steep at both ends and although it is a modern highway, most truckers avoid traveling on it due to the extra gasoline expense that the steep inclines create. minor incident | last updated Sat Mar 4 at 6:32 AM PST. 5 min read. The pass is named after the Coquihalla River, from which the highway also derives its name. 2-3cm of snow expected. Winds light and variable. In spring, summer or fall, it's a breeze, but in winter there are at least 400-500 accidents and plenty of fatalities. I have driven the highway dozens of times, the majority being 97C, but lots to Vancouver too. It's a 12-mile hill for those of you watching from the United States and might end up in British Columbia going down one of the more notorious hills, made famous by the TV series, "Highway thru Hell." So we're going to do today, we're going to give you a bit of information on the descent down the hill from the Coquihalla summit. Elkhart East Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector), about 25 km east of Hwy 5A/97C Junction, looking east. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure shares with you what we do and why we do it. North of Barriere it encounters a junction with Highway 24 in the village of Little Fort. Highway 5, in both directions. This could include surveying, flagging and staking the right-of-way, mobilization of crews and equipment, preparing the right-of-way, clearing and grading, delivery and staging . In 1876 the Hope-Nicola Trail was built. With the road closed for hours due to a snowstorm, Davis has had other motorists bang on his trucks door begging for fuel. The recreation area was established on September 4, 1987, with the goal of protecting the transition zone between the wetter coast and drier southern interior regions of the province. Utility work planned between Thunder Creek Bridge and Blue River Bridge for 13.5 km (Blue River). From there it proceeds 109km (68mi) further north through the heart of the Columbia Mountains. Coquihalla Summit is not actually the highest point on the Coquihalla Highway, rather the Surrey Lake Summit[clarification needed] at 1,244m (4,081ft) is the highest point on the Coquihalla, which goes from Hope to the Highway 1 interchange outside of Kamloops. 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The road, (colloquially "the Coq"), climbs up the Coquihalla Pass, a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.249m (4,097ft) above the sea level and tops out by Surrey Lake Summit, at 1.444m (4,738ft) asl. According to ICBC there were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013, and an estimated 400-500 accidents occur during the winter seasons. Construction of this part of the Coquihalla Highway was spearheaded by Tom Waterland as MLA for Yale-Lillooet. Snowfall of 2-3cm. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Copyright 2023, Province of British Columbia. The B.C. [3], Following nine days of snowfall in February 2014, a Class 4 avalanche occurred across the Coquihalla Highway, 33 kilometres (21mi) north of Hope on February 20, 2014. After exiting Merritt the highway climbs up a long steep hill towards another highpoint the Surrey Lake Summit It pass through three interchanges along this section. Route map: .mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:#f9f9f9;display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, "Coquihalla Highway tolls dropped, says B.C. Highway 5follows the North Thompson River north from Heffley Creek for approximately 54 km (34 mi), along a parallel course with a branch of the Canadian National Railway, passing through Barriere, to a junction with Highway 24 at Little Fort. Coquihalla, BC 10-Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Channel | Weather.com 10 Day Weather - Coquihalla, BC As of 04:40 PST Winter Storm Warning Today -5/ -12 90% Sun. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); This 'travel news' services website is privately owned. Jamie Davis behind the wheel of one of his heavy rescue tow trucks. minor construction | last updated Fri Mar 3 at 8:05 PM PST. Check Coquihalla conditions. The Coquihalla was closed north of Hope on Sunday due to the July Creek wildfire, which jumped the highway and merged with the Brook Creek blaze on the other side. Powerful engines, harsh weather, and steep drop-offs are only a few of the elements that have defined Highway Thru Hell. The length of the Coquihalla, per construction phase: vs. the old Highway 3 Route from Kelowna area you save approximately 70km of travel or/and an 1h30mins, vs the old Fraser Canyon Route (Trans Canada) from Kamloops via the TCH you save approximately 70km and 1h 10mins, Phase 1 opened in May 1986 (Hope to Merritt), Phase 2 was completed on Sept 4, 1987 (Merritt toKamloops), Phase 3 was completed on Oct 1, 1990 (The Coquihalla Connector from Merritt toWest Kelowna), Named the Coquihalla because it generally follows the Coquihalla River and uses the Coquihalla Pass. The Southern Yellowhead highway is the northern section of Highway 5, this section is 314km (195mi) long. Low -4C. Its highest altitude is the Pennask Summit (1728 m, 5760 ft, above sea level). Part of the Highway 5, the road is193 km (119 miles) long, running north-south from Kamloops to Hope via Merritt. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. It was a mistake to take the toll off the Coquihalla hwy. Tough on what seemed like all cars except mine. The Canadian docuseries, which premiered in 2012, follows the daily operations of tow truckers working in British Columbia. Collisions, close calls, and anything interesting. ICBC tracks these statistics here: https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/Pages/Statistics.aspx. It is the highest point on the highway between the cities of Hope and Merritt. It refers to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. A series of protected areas were established along the route in 1986. Chance of snow 50%. High -1C. His "conviction that the route provided important benefits and an essential link to B.C. If theres anyone qualified to deliver a life-saving rant to those tackling Canadas winter highways, its got to be Davis. I have not been able to find information on Surrey Lake Summit on the website. The current Highway 5 is not the first highway in B.C. In May 2022, I drove the Coquihalla to/from my way to Edmonton for the first time. It proceeds northeast for another 107 km (67 mi), passing Vavenby en route, to the community of Blue River, and then 109 km (68 mi) further north through the Columbia Mountains, passing by the community of Valemount to its northern terminus at Tte Jaune Cache, where it meets Highway 16.