Jan 30, 2013 Surrey, BC 0 This is The Smasher on BC's Coquihalla Highway. Highway 5 re-enters the city at the Rayleigh community, where it passes two busy at-grade, but not signallized intersections; traffic volumes steadily decrease as it gets farther from the core area of Kamloops. Discover our featured content. High 3C. On December 20, 2021, the Coquihalla Highway was reopened to essential traffic, with non- essential traffic being diverted towards Highway 99. Mostly cloudy. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape with summer coolant and good brakes and tires. Low -8C. High -2C. minor construction | last updated Thu Mar 2 at 4:51 PM PST. The highway has since been fully reopened, allowing full traffic from Hope to Kamloops. [12] In response to strong opposition from the public, and numerous businesses, in the Interior of British Columbia, the provincial government shelved the move three months later. It may be an avalanche that closes the road or a multi-vehicle pileup, or simply waist-deep snow that paralyzes everything on wheels. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h. Why pay for it again? At the top of this website, you provided good general statistical information. It's one of the worst roads in all of North America in winters. The Coquihalla is one of the most popular highway mountain passes in BC. | next update Mon Mar 6. Work will commence in a series of phased activities along the pipeline right-of-way. The Coquihalla Snowshed Protocol: 10 Steps to Highway Safety. 35km (22mi) north of Othello, after passing through five interchanges, Highway 5 reaches the landmark Great Bear snow shed. Winds light and variable. OTHELLO TUNNELS (Hope) - 2023 What to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor Pothole Lake West Hwy 97C (Okanagan Connector), near Pothole Lake about 7 km east of Aspen Grove, looking west. Chance of snow 50%. His "conviction that the route provided important benefits and an essential link to B.C. Coquihalla Hwy. reopened but drivers told 'no stopping' due to The ascent is particularly steep after passing . Theres no help around the corner, so you must rely upon your own smarts to survive. The Smasher. Coquihalla Road Reports | REMINDER - #BCHwy5 CLOSED in Coquihalla Box Canyon South Hwy 5, near Box Canyon Chain-up Area, looking south. Highway 5 proceeds northeast for another 107km (66mi), passing Vavenby and Avola en route to the community of Blue River: a popular heliskiing location. Hope, at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley. Becoming partly cloudy later. 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. Prepare for the seasons worst with our winter driving guide. Expect minor delays. Many lives have been lost or irreversibly altered on the Coq, and thats a difficult reality faced by Davis and his crew. [Canada] [OC] Descending The Smasher - Coquihalla Highway - Highway Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Hi there Cass thanks for your question. PDF Hwy 5 - Coquihalla Pass - Gov Highway 5, in both directions. We recommend that you check DriveBC before you travel, specifically the webcams, to get an idea of snow levels along the route. Coquihalla Conditions for Hwy 5 Coquihalla highway & Hwy 97C Okanagan connector for today. Its totally paved. 1,244m or 4,081ft) is a highway summit along the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia, Canada. Coquihalla Summit S Hwy 5, about 7 km north of Zopkios Brake Check, looking the south. government for a new highway route to Hope, including a vehicle caravan that was staged eight times starting in 1963, over the abandoned Kettle Valley Railway grade, in order draw attention to the potential of this route. Do you know any spectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! What are the concrete bunkers visible along the #5 highway between Hope and Merritt? It becomes a two-lane highway at Heffley Creek and the exit to Sun Peaks resorts, both of which indicate the final northern boundary of Kamloops. Until Sat Mar 4. From 1941 to 1953, the section of present-day Highway 97, Highway 97A, and Highway 97B, between Kaleden, just south of Penticton, and Salmon Arm, was formerly Highway 5. Job Listing Rules. [27] Snow can fall on high mountain passes in BC, such as the Coquihalla, well into the spring and occasionally into the summer. 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. Chance of snow 50%. 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. When can you count on there being no more snow on the Coq? Thanks for your questions. The 52-year-old has built up such a reputation that truckers say when his green rig shows up, there is nothing to worry about anymore. High 3C. Low -4C. [11][14] Subsequently, the toll station and signs were dismantled. Coquihalla Highway set to reopen to regular traffic | BC Gov News Cookie Policy | At this time, we are not considering making the Coquihalla a tolled route. Snow level 1200 metres. The section of Highway 97C east of Merritt is mostly freeway, with a speed limit of 110 km/h (68 mph) and between 4 and 6 lanes, and has very few exits along its route. #Coquihalla 2:20pm March 3 Snow showers. where is the smasher on the coquihalla. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. Partly cloudy. Coquihalla Great Bear Snowshed N Hwy 5, Great Bear Snowshed looking to the north. Highway 97Cbegins near Trepanier, at a location on Highway 97 known as Drought Hill. [25][26] The heavy amount of rain eventually caused several large washouts at multiple points along the highway, including the destruction of multiple bridges. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. There is an installation of concrete blocks along the highway placed there to block avalanche flow. The highway is pretty good, some sections have frost heaves and uneven pavement but it's 2 lanes each way so slower traffic like trucks are not an issue. The original statistic should have read 3.3 million annual VKT/km, instead of 3.3 million annual VKT. Winds light and variable. Despite recent challenges on the lower portion of the highway, the Coquihalla does indeed remain a marvel of engineering. The Smasher. Downtown Valemount as seen from the west side of Highway 5. It is a major link connecting Vancouver to the BC inland. Road closed. According to ICBC there were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013, and an estimated 400-500 accidents occur during the winter seasons. If theres anyone qualified to deliver a life-saving rant to those tackling Canadas winter highways, its got to be Davis. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h. 30km (19mi) north of Little Fort, while continuing to follow the North Thompson and the CN Railway, Highway 5 reaches the resort community of Clearwater where a roundabout provides access to Wells Gray Provincial Park. Last updated Tue Feb 28 at 12:59 PM PST. I would appreciate your clarification of this statistic. Although the Yellowhead Highway system is considered part of the Trans-Canada Highway network, Highway 5 is not represented with a Trans-Canada marker. 1. It refers to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. Alternate route via Hwy 1 and Hwy 3. British Columbia storm: Highway snaps in half, Vancouver cut off as I Need CDL Training Watch for traffic control. Highway rescuer Jamie Davis recounts tales from one of Canada's fiercest winter roads. Wildfire Service said. https://www.tranbc.ca/2013/01/09/highway-thru-hell-the-complete-tranbc-interview-series/, why is a portion of the highway called the smasher?. High 2C. 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. We hope that this is helpful. Think again. Low -7C. I plan on riding van to Calgary in June 2016. Larson Hill N Hwy 5 at Larson Hill, 36 km south of Merritt, looking to the north. Check Coquihalla conditions. 6-11 Months Coquihalla conditions today. Heffley Creek indicates the northern boundary of Kamloops, the exit to Sun Peaks resort is at the same turn off. Without knowing exactly the location you are referring to exactly, we would guess that is what youve seen. Snow showers. kamloops to merrit is absolutely treacherous right now, blowing blizzards and low vis, i can imagine the smasher will be 10x worse Signs along the Coquihalla Highway frequently warn drivers to be aware of sudden changes in weather. The numbers are in general much higher than the corresponding 3.3 million KM quoted for the Coquihalla. 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. Hi there this information is availabel via the DataBC DriveBC catalogue here:https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/historical-drivebc-events Did you find this content interesting? I have driven the highway dozens of times, the majority being 97C, but lots to Vancouver too. In addition to getting a 2023 first-round pick and solid prospect in Reid Schaefer in the Mattias Ekholm trade . Partly cloudy in the morning followed by periods of snow showers later in the day. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Single lane alternating traffic will be in effect. Title: Elevation and Grade Profile on Highway 5 - Coquihalla Pass Author: BC Ministry of Transporation Subject: Forecast issued: 3:45 PM PST Monday 6 February 2023. A particularly important intersection is the signal lights at Halston Drive, which is one of only two access points to the north half of Kamloops. In CDL School Now The Coquihalla approximately traces through the Cascade Mountainsthe route of the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958. After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately 19km (12mi). Highway Thru Hell | Episode 4 Wreck Analysis Upload, share, download and embed your videos. The location of the former toll booth is 13km (8mi) north of the snow shed, passing through another interchange and the Wow, is David Poile ever rolling out the red carpet for his GM successor Barry Trotz. [7][8] To ensure the project was completed on time, more than 10,000 people were needed to fill all of the jobs and more than 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment worked non-stop every day during the summer of 1985 to get it done. There is also one concrete stopping wall and one snow shed, Since the winter of 1990/1991, in regards to avalanche closures, Less than one closure per year due to avalanche hazard, specifically .96 per year over 25 years, 13 out of the last 25 years had no closures due to avalanche hazard, Of all the 24 avalanche closures, 11 were under 2 hours, The top 3 reasons for closures on the Coquihalla (in order of time spent) are, Vehicle incidents (such as stalls, vehicle fires, trucks spinning out, etc. where is the smasher on the coquihalla - tourdefat.com Hi Sarah, The next issue of Driving.ca's Blind-Spot Monitor will soon be in your inbox. Zopkios Southbound N Hwy 5, northbound at Zopkios Rest Area, near the Coquihalla Summit looking to the south. The speed limit is 100km/h (62mph) for the most part except in towns, where it can drop to as low as 50km/h (31mph). This website is where the B.C. This stretch of road, which carries 97 South and 5 North on the same lanes (and vice versa), is the only wrong-way concurrency in British Columbia. 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. 2. Careful preparation for your trip will ensure that if, and when, things do go wrong, you are prepared for the situation. This information is collected by ICBC heres their contact information: https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/contact-us/Pages/default.aspx. As Davis puts it, Its you, your vehicle, and a very lonesome feeling. While such words may be apropos for a hurtin song, they carry a far more serious meaning when delivered by Davis. Initial repair estimates include temporary reopenings consisting of temporary bridges, operational for early 2022 with full repair completed in September 2022. 5 day weather forecast Coquihalla , British Columbia Coquihalla Summit in BC is a chillout in high mountains Unless my logic is incorrect, something is wrong here. Also the total trips in addition to the average per day these are impressive numbers showing the importance of the Coquihalla to travellers in BC. So how does one ensure survival in such an epic struggle? Snow accumulations less than 2cm. [15], In 2011, the British Columbia government replaced the standard British Columbia Highway 5 shields with Yellowhead Highway 5 shields south of Kamloops, which at the time drew some concern that the Coquihalla Highway would be officially renamed. This is one of the most amazing stretches of roads in North America. The section of highway between Merritt and Kamloops is 72km (45mi) long. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. The Canadian docuseries, which premiered in 2012, follows the daily operations of tow truckers working in British Columbia. Low around -10C. Periods of rain except periods of snow near the summit. Hope that this information is helpful. Coquihalla Summit - Wikipedia On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the Coquihalla Highway was reopened to non- essential traffic from Hope to Merritt. Thanks for your comment! C in cold winter weather. Jamie Davis behind the wheel of one of his heavy rescue tow trucks. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Coquihalla Pass Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Until Sun Mar 5 at 3:00 AM PST. The round concrete blocks your referring too are at the widened breaks in the highway barriers where the Military used to pull off and set up and shoot up into the snow packed mountains for avalanche control. And what is the % gradient? Coquihalla Highway - The Smasher - YouTube Low -9C. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); This 'travel news' services website is privately owned. Environment Canada is calling for 15 to 25 centimetres of snow on the Coquihalla on Monday night along the section between Hope and Merritt. Variable clouds with snow showers. Nighttime driving is the worst for this, and the most dangerous. 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