Coquihalla Highway reopens after emergency sinkhole repairs between Hope and Merritt
Highway was closed most of Saturday for urgent repairs south of the Great Bear Snowshed
The Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) has reopened in both directions between Hope and Merritt after emergency repairs to fix a sinkhole, according to DriveBC.
The major route was closed Saturday morning following the discovery of a sinkhole just south of the Great Bear Snowshed.
The full closure came after a partial closure that began on Thursday due to the sinkhole.
The ministry said its maintenance contractor discovered the sinkhole Thursday evening in the northbound slow lane of the highway, about 80 kilometres south of Merritt.
It said the sinkhole appears to be the result of pipeline boring in the area.
The closure was first reported by DriveBC at around 8:30 p.m. Thursday at a location between the Portia and Zopkios brake check exits, about three kilometres south of the Great Bear Snowshed.
The ministry said as repairs to the northbound lane proceeded Friday morning, it was determined that southbound lanes could also be affected.
By Saturday morning, the highway was fully closed between Hope and Merritt. Motorists were advised to divert to either Highway 1 or Highway 3 while crews worked to address the issue.
Photos shared by the Ministry of Transportation show heavy machinery working at the site overnight, with a deep trench visible across the highway.
DriveBC confirmed the highway was fully open again shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
With files from The Canadian Press