The Government of BC has extended the state of emergency that was put in place due to the flooding and mudslides.
The extension goes until January 11th, as the province determined there is still a need for public safety measures with repairs still ongoing on damaged highways.
“While significant progress has been made in recovery and repair efforts, there is still more to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety.
Travel is still restricted on highways 5 and 99:
- Only commercial vehicles can travel on Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt.
- from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake campsite access in Lillooet is open to all traffic except vehicles weighing more than 14,500 kilograms.
“Reopening the Coquihalla to commercial trucks and intercity buses was an important step in our recovery from November’s storm damage,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“Repairs to our highway infrastructure are progressing well. However, with winter conditions here and more work to do, some restrictions must remain in place.”