The road is named after Coquihalla River. It is a major link connecting Vancouver to the BC inland. Traffic volumes thin out at that exit and shortly afterwards Highway 5 narrows to a 2 lane undivided road. After separating from Highways 1 and 97, Highway 5 proceeds north for approximately 19km (12mi). Hope that this information is helpful. At the top of this website, you provided good general statistical information. Careful preparation for your trip will ensure that if, and when, things do go wrong, you are prepared for the situation. I was hoping you could either confirm or deny this. Unfortunately, we dont have this information. 1,244m or 4,081ft) is a highway summit along the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia, Canada. Do you have information to supply? Coquihalla Summit N Hwy 5, about 7 km north of Zopkios Brake Check, looking north. Forecast issued: 3:45 PM PST Monday 6 February 2023. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h.
[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". Why the change? It also provides highway travellers opportunities for viewing granite peaks, wildlife and historic features such as the Kettle Valley Railway and old Coquihalla Highway, both of which were earlier routes through the area.[5][3]. government privatizing toll highway", "B.C. Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow 60%. The list goes on. Watch for traffic control. Occasional snow showers. The data and electronic links provided in this web site are for informational purposes only and bchighway.com disclaims all responsibility for the accuracy of site content or linked information. Go prepared, or go home. Southern Yellowhead Highway 5, southbound. Initial descent is posted at 8% but it's really more than that. Shortly after the junction it descends into the city of Kamloops where it meets Highways1 and 97 at a trumpet interchange. Coquihalla Conditions for Hwy 5 Coquihalla highway & Hwy 97C Okanagan connector for today. Britton Creek S Hwy 5, by Britton Creek Rest Area northbound turnoff, looking south. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. Larson Hill N Hwy 5 at Larson Hill, 36 km south of Merritt, looking to the north. dangerousroads.org is not responsible for the information contained in these pages. Its infamy is borne on the backs of all those who failed to make it over her 1,244-metre mountain pass, which connects the coastal rainforest of B.C.s Lower Mainland with the desert climate of its interior. Theres a lot to take away from a conversation with Jamie Davis; rest assured, its never dull. 2023 Driving, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. It is the highest point on the highway between the cities of Hope and Merritt. Low -4C. The location of the former toll booth is 13km (8mi) north of the snow shed, passing through another interchange and the Some decrease in clouds late. Variable clouds with snow showers. [25][26] The heavy amount of rain eventually caused several large washouts at multiple points along the highway, including the destruction of multiple bridges. In addition to getting a 2023 first-round pick and solid prospect in Reid Schaefer in the Mattias Ekholm trade . Hes been the one constant along the hellish stretch of road that truckers rely upon, and as such hes seen it all more than once. [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. 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. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. 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. Snow can fall on high mountain passes in BC, such as the Coquihalla, well into the spring and occasionally into the summer. Now they just drop bombs from the helicopters in the exact location of the avalanche hazard. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Hourly weather forecast . The toll booth once marked the halfway point of the formerly tolled Hope-to-Merritt portion of the highway. 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. Davis is from a hauling family, learning the ropes at an early age from his parents before establishing his first towing firm with his brother in the 1980s. Snowfall amount 5 cm near the summit. The exit numbers on the Coquihalla are a continuation of those on Highway 1 west of Hope. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Hope that this helps. can be used for maintenance on other BC highways. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Canadian Covid -19 Emergency border measures have ended. This information is collected by ICBC heres their contact information: https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/contact-us/Pages/default.aspx. CDL Grad, No Experience Avalanche control works planned Saturday morning followed by any required cleanup works. Highway Thru Hell | Episode 4 Wreck Analysis Upload, share, download and embed your videos. OBEY ALL SIGNAGE. Hope that this information is helpful. Copyright 2023, Province of British Columbia. 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. The Coquihalla approximately traces through the Cascade Mountains the route of the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958. High -2C. Discussion in 'Trucker Videos' started by TractorTrailer, Mar 24, 2013. From 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM PST on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. C in cold winter weather. GENERAL STATS Its one of the worst roads in all of North America in winters. [4], Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area is a provincial recreation area centred around Coquihalla Summit. Zopkios Northbound N Hwy 5, northbound at Zopkios Rest Area, near the Coquihalla Summit looking to the north. Scattered snow showers during the evening. [18] In June 2016, the province implemented a variable speed limit corridor around the Coquhalla Summit Park to increase safety during adverse conditions.[19]. It is so-named because near Hope, it generally follows the Coquihalla River, for about 60 km (37 mi), and uses the Coquihalla Pass. Snow level 1200 metres lowering to 900 metres in the afternoon. Comstock Highway 5 at Comstock Rd, about 15 km south of Merritt, looking to the north. High 2C. The Smasher. Stay tuned. Snow accumulations less than 2cm. Coquihalla Box Canyon North Hwy 5, near Box Canyon Chain-up Area, looking north. Earlier, a witness shared photos of another section that appeared to be washed away near the Othello Tunnels. It should be cm, not mm. Zopkios Southbound S Hwy 5, southbound at Zopkios Rest Area, near the Coquihalla Summit, looking southwest. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. Lane closures and short duration traffic stoppages will be in effect periodically. It crosses a low divide between the Thompson River and Fraser River drainages entering the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. Highway 5 begins south at the junction with Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) at uninhabited Othello, 7km (4mi) east of Hope (named after a nearby siding on the Kettle Valley Railway, which used many Shakespearean names). Stunning scenery and an engineering marvel. [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. Terms | 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. 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. 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. Its not like bombing around in Vancouver or Toronto, says Davis. Winter surprises are a real fear, sudden snow storms, blowing snow and fog, often make winter driving hazardous and slow. Thanks for your message. I am puzzled by the statistic Annual vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT): 3.3 million which appears in the page about the Coquihalla. It's called British Columbia Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway). Think AWD makes you invincible in the show? minor construction | last updated Tue Feb 28 at 12:40 PM PST. Our BC HighwayCams also have a weather feature on each cam which will give you an idea of forecasted weather along the route. Coquihalla Highway is the largest of 4 routes connecting the Vancouver area with interior centres. 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. Highway 1, 3, 7 and 5 in Coquihalla suffered extensive damage . It is largely a two-lane undivided road, with some rare three- or four-lane sections for passing, although work has been constantly underway (especially in the Heffley CreekClearwater section) to create more passing opportunities. Snow level 1200 metres. Coquihalla Lakes N Hwy 5, 61km south of Merritt, looking to the north. 2. On the one hand, you have the Othello Tunnels, which is what the park is most known for; on the other hand, you have the park's epic geology, rushing water and beautiful flora. Safe travels. The road was constructed in 1941. If Hell was cold I'd agree with them. The Discovery Channel did a series called Highway Through Hell about this stretch of road. Its a fine highway. Expect minor delays. Environment Canada is calling for 15 to 25 centimetres of snow on the Coquihalla on Monday night along the section between Hope and Merritt. City folk drive out of Vancouver and forget that they have to go through a mountain pass, halfway up they are at the point of no return and arent equipped. And thats when things go wrong. to have this designation. Chance of snow 60%. Single lane alternating traffic will be in effect. It may be an avalanche that closes the road or a multi-vehicle pileup, or simply waist-deep snow that paralyzes everything on wheels. The Coquihalla Highway, which appears to have snapped in two, is one of B.C.'s most important highways since it connects the city of Vancouver to the province Interior. There were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013 (according to ICBC). Watch for slippery sections between Junction Hwy 97 and Pennask Summit for 33.0 km (West Kelowna to Pennask Summit). [6], In the 1960s, the Merritt Board of Trade began lobbying the B.C. The heartache in Daviss voice was palpable as he described the accident scene. Highway 5 proceeds northeast for another 107km (66mi), passing Vavenby and Avola en route to the community of Blue River: a popular heliskiing location. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape with summer coolant and good brakes and tires. 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. But how well do you know this stretch of highway? In short, it all comes down to preparation, and this is what Davis really emphasized. According to ICBC there were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013, and an estimated 400-500 accidents occur during the winter seasons. 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. Brace yourself winter is here. The numbers are in general much higher than the corresponding 3.3 million KM quoted for the Coquihalla. 1,150mm is a measly 1 meter and 15 cm . High 1C. Thanks for your questions. 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This is one of the most amazing stretches of roads in North America. Drivers could avoid becoming stranded and helpless if they were more conscientious about filling their gas tanks at each opportunity and carrying cable chains. Highway 5. I have driven the highway dozens of times, the majority being 97C, but lots to Vancouver too. Highways 97C and 5A share the 28 km (17 mi) long route between Aspen Grove and Lower Nicola, where Highway 5A diverges immediately east and Highway 8 begins. I have not been able to find information on Surrey Lake Summit on the website. Did you find this content interesting? Hope that this helps! Compact snow. Watch for traffic control personnel. Expect a fee of $200 or more to relieve the empty feeling. In the line The Coquihalla averages 1,350mm of precipitation of which 1,150mm falls as snow, below the graph, you might want to change the units of measure. Kw'ikw'iya:la (Coquihalla) in the Halq'emeylem language of the St:l, is a place name meaning "stingy container." 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).