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. Its not like bombing around in Vancouver or Toronto, says Davis. The Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area is located at the top of the pass on the Coquihalla Highway, approximately 45km (28mi) north of Hope. 2. Powerful engines, harsh weather, and steep drop-offs are only a few of the elements that have defined Highway Thru Hell. Nighttime driving is the worst for this, and the most dangerous. A welcome email is on its way. Its one of the worst roads in all of North America in winters. There isnt actually a single number to answer the question, because freezing levels very so much in the mountains around the Coquihalla. Earlier, a witness shared photos of another section that appeared to be washed away near the Othello Tunnels. which shows MVKM (Million Vehicle Kilometres) for many highway segments. After leaving the concurrency it immediately crosses the South Thompson River and enters a First Nations Reserve, temporarily leaving Kamloops city limits. Highway 5 continues east for 12km (7.5mi) concurrently with Highways1 and 97, through Kamloops. It is located just south of the former toll booth plaza on the Coquihalla Highway, about 50 km (31 mi) north of Hope, and 65 km (40 mi) south of Merritt and is the divide between the Coquihalla River and the Coldwater River. Part of the Highway 5, the road is193 km (119 miles) long, running north-south from Kamloops to Hope via Merritt. At ridgetop (1660m) our average is 1850cm of snowfall, and this year we only received 1269cm. Pennask Summit Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector), about 74 km west of Kelowna, looking east. 's infamous 'Highway Thru Hell'. Davis went onto emphasize the importance of staying put, and not stepping onto the highway without proper reflective gear and safety equipment. As we joked about the stupidity that plays out on Canadian roads day after day, our conversation took on a mournful note as Davis talked about the tragedies that also occur and how they could often be avoided. The ascent to the Coquihalla Summit is very steep, especially from the south. Starting Thu Mar 9 at 9:00 AM PST until Thu Mar 9 at 4:00 PM PST. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Go prepared, or go home. They chose to confront the Coq without a full tank, not realizing that idling a car for warmth hour after hour depletes an already dangerously low fuel tank. Services for drivers are provided in the major towns. Mountain pass in British Columbia, Canada, Southern approach to Coquihalla Summit as viewed from, List of mountain passes of the Cascade Range, "Editorials: Farewell to a prime politician", "Coquihalla Highway reopens after massive avalanche control operation", BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways Infopage, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coquihalla_Summit&oldid=1138202497, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 14:53. Modern use of the pass began in 1986 after construction of the first phase of the Coquihalla Highway (from Hope to Merritt). Smart drivers have lots of gas, carry winter clothing, a candle (for warmth) and sleeping bag in the car ' just in case' (chances are that you will never need those extras). to have this designation. His "conviction that the route provided important benefits and an essential link to B.C. Coquihalla Box Canyon South Hwy 5, near Box Canyon Chain-up Area, looking south. By checking this box and clicking the "Send me job offers" button below, I represent that I: By checking this box and clicking the "Send me job offers" button below. Many of the catastrophic mistakes he bears witness to involve typical cars and SUVs rather than big rigs. Until Sun Mar 5 at 3:00 AM PST. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The rules imposed by the United States Dec 2 2021 requiring a test 24hours before flying to the USA do not apply at the land border however You are still required to be fully vaccinated to drive to USA. as rain batters province, leading to mudslides and flood warnings", "Relentless rain causing flooding, road closures and evacuations across B.C. The Coquihalla Highway then enters the city of Merritt, which is accessed by two interchanges, both of which also provide access to Highway 5A, Highway 97C and Highway 8. [2] After 10 years in office, Waterland retired from the Cabinet in 1986 a few months after seeing this part of the project through to its completion. He sees it all the time, people milling around their cars at the side of the road exposing themselves to traffic unable to see them until its too late. (I found the info on Wikipedia, but no explanation). [4], Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area is a provincial recreation area centred around Coquihalla Summit. Highway 5 connects the southern Trans-Canada route (Highway 1) with the northern Trans-Canada/Yellowhead route (Highway 16), providing the shortest land connection between Vancouver and Edmonton. The heartache in Daviss voice was palpable as he described the accident scene. It is not affiliated or sanctioned by the Government of BC, nor is it part of the provincial governments - DriveBC program or websites, operated by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Chance of snow 60%. According to St:l oral history, the skw'exweq (water babies, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close by the rock, would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch the salmon."[2]. Its highest altitude is the Pennask Summit (1728 m, 5760 ft, above sea level). In 1876 the Hope-Nicola Trail was built. The travel time between Hope to Kamloops is approximately 2 hours. Rule of thumb conversion from water equivalent to snowfall is about 10:1, so that would have been approximately 1150 cm of snow, but we were talking precipitation, not snow depth. Canadian Covid -19 Emergency border measures have ended. Variably cloudy with snow showers. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; southlake carroll basketball. [5] In 1970, Highway 5 between Kamloops and Tte Jaune Cache was designated as the South Yellowhead Highway and signed with the Yellowhead Highway shield, while the section south of Kamloops was still signed with the standard British Columbia highway shield. In May 2022, I drove the Coquihalla to/from my way to Edmonton for the first time. Specific highway corridor? Check Weather and Road Conditions at the Great Bear Snowshed Highway Cam Road Condition Reports for the Coquihalla Hwy5 and Highway 97C Did you find this content interesting? The Coquihalla Valley has long been a major transportation route from the coast to the interior. Is it true Surrey Lake Summit was formerly called Clapperton Lake Summit? Larson Hill N Hwy 5 at Larson Hill, 36 km south of Merritt, looking to the north. It was a little nerve wracking in my little Toyota Matrix but I am glad I did it. Washrooms are temporarily closed between Exit 228: Coquihalla Lakes Rd and Exit 221: Falls Lake Rd for 0.7 km (6 km north of Coquihalla Summit). | next update Sat Mar 4 at 1:00 PM PST. Shortly after the junction it descends into the city of Kamloops where it meets Highways1 and 97 at a trumpet interchange. Coquihalla Highway is one of the worst roads in winters Coquihalla Highway is an extreme freeway located in British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province. The weather today in Coquihalla Thursday, 02 March 2023 . Without knowing exactly the location you are referring to exactly, we would guess that is what youve seen. While many other service providers come and go, Davis remains. 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. The Coquihalla Highway starts south of the junction with Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) situated at the uninhabited region of Othello. Snowfall of 2-3cm. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Winds light and variable. The Coquihalla approximately traces through the Cascade Mountains the route of the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958. [27] 30 km (19 mi) north of Little Fort, while continuing to follow the North Thompson and the CN Railway, Highway 5 reaches the community of Clearwater. 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. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Mostly cloudy skies early. Considerable clouds early. A highway camera in the area shows the dark-coloured. To get a comparison I went to easily available statistics from Alberta, http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType181/production/LinkTrafficVolumeVehicleClassTravelESAL2014.pdf. This section is mostly an urban freeway with a speed limit of 100km/h (62mph) it passes through 5 interchanges connecting to the core area of Kamloops before the concurrency splits and Highway 5 exits off the road to the north in a complex 5 way interchange. 5 min read. High near 0C. Becoming partly cloudy later. Winds light and variable. Between Hope and Kamloops, Highway 5 is known as the Coquihalla Highway (colloquially "the Coq"; pronounced "coke"). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Winter tires are required on high mountain passes in BC until March 31st at the least. We cant say for sure however, we can venture a guess that this term was coined by commercial truck operators who experienced one or more vehicle incidents at the summit/tunnel location. Here is a website with more information about winter tires and where they are required in BC: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/driving/traveller-information/seasonal/winter-driving/winter-tires-and-chains. High 3C. What are the bunker looking things on the side of the highway? ", "Coquihalla Highway set to reopen to regular traffic | BC Gov News", "Highway Exits & Landmarks - Coquihalla Highway 5 Starts (Yellowhead Route)", Template:Attached KML/British Columbia Highway 5, 7 Things You Need to Know BEFORE Driving the Coquihalla and High Mountain Passes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Columbia_Highway_5&oldid=1134238496, East end of Hwy3 concurrency; south end of, Coquihalla Lakes Rest Area (former site of toll booths), Coquihalla Lakes Road Britton Creek Rest Area, South end of Hwy1/ Hwy97 concurrency; north end of, North end of Hwy1/ Hwy97 concurrency; Hwy5 exits freeway; exit numbers continue on Hwy1, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 17:46. The B.C. I do not see a lot of information about bicycles on the highway. High 2C. Periods of rain except periods of snow near the summit. Highway 5, in both directions. Last updated Tue Feb 28 at 12:59 PM PST. Next it passes Tte Jaune Cache and crosses the Fraser River, after which it immediately meets Highway16 in a partial interchange; making its northern terminus. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h. Winter tires or chains are required on most routes in British Columbia from October 1 to April 30. Trucks have been known to avoid the route, but most motorists don't have any hesitation about driving the route in spring-summer-fall conditions. Subscribe to our Blind-Spot Monitor newsletters to catch up on all the top automotive stories of the week, Subscribe to our newsletters to catch up on all the top automotive stories of the week, Best in Class: 7 of the most fuel-efficient SUVs of 2023, Ontario insurer to issue free trackers to oft-targeted cars, Motor Mouth: This patent may be Fords dumbest idea ever, Driving By Numbers: Canada's 10 best-selling electric vehicles in 2022, News Roundup: Free trackers for oft-stolen cars, Canadas top-selling EVs, and more, Surviving B.C. [16][17], Effective July 2, 2014, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure increased the speed limit of Coquihalla Highway from 110km/h (68mph) to 120km/h (75mph) after conducting an engineering assessment and province-wide speed review. VKT/km represents the annual VKT divided by the length of the roadway, and provides a good relative indicator of the average intensity of usage over the length of each highway. This information is collected by ICBC heres their contact information: https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/contact-us/Pages/default.aspx. Highway 97C, in both directions. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Elkhart West Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector), about 25 km east of Hwy 5A/97C Junction, looking west. In CDL School Now From south to north, the following intersections are observed along Highway 5:[29][30], Highway 5 passing through Thompson Plateau. From there it proceeds 109km (68mi) further north through the heart of the Columbia Mountains. Hello Greg. It was a mistake to take the toll off the Coquihalla hwy. 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. Low around -10C. Coquihalla conditions today. North of Barriere it encounters a junction with Highway 24 in the village of Little Fort. Sign up to receive Driving.ca's Blind-Spot Monitor newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Variably cloudy with snow showers. I am now glued to the TV show Highway Thru Hell and have a much better understanding of the miss-adventures of travel along the Coquihalla and how easily accidents can happen. kamloops to merrit is absolutely treacherous right now, blowing blizzards and low vis, i can imagine the smasher will be 10x worse Interspersed among the chuckles and anecdotes, Davis imparted tremendous insight into what can go wrong when motorists are ill-prepared to take on Mother Nature in a battle that she usually wins. [8], In 2003, Premier Gordon Campbell announced the Liberal government would turn over toll revenue to a private operator, along with responsibility for operation, and maintenance of "the Coq". minor incident | last updated Sat Mar 4 at 6:32 AM PST. Construction of this part of the Coquihalla Highway was spearheaded by Tom Waterland as MLA for Yale-Lillooet.