Tough 24 Hours for Drivers on the Coquihalla

Update 3pm December 17: The accident has been cleared and the Coquihalla has reopened. The Snow and Wind Warning remain in effect.

December 17 2025 - It has been a challenging stretch for motorists travelling the Coquihalla Highway, with a vehicle incident and worsening winter weather combining to make for a difficult night and morning on the major B.C. corridor.

A Tow Truck Near Zopkios on the Coquihalla

Highway 5 remains closed northbound between the start of the Coquihalla near Hope and Exit 286 at Merritt (Highway 97C), a stretch of about 109 kilometres.

DriveBC reports the closure is due to a vehicle incident that shut down the route for much of Wednesday morning.

The estimated reopening time of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, has come and gone. DriveBC has not given an updated estimate for a reopening.

24 Hours of DriveBC Timelapse Images at Zopkios

Meanwhile, traffic is being detoured via Highway 1.

Highway 8 is not available as a detour for commercial vehicles and is limited to local traffic only.

Difficult winter driving conditions continue along the high-elevation route.

Environment Canada has issued a yellow snowfall warning for the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt, with snow and local blowing snow reported. Snowfall totals of 10 to 15 centimetres are expected today, with southwest winds reaching 50 km/h and gusting up to 80 km/h, gradually easing later in the day.

Additional snowfall of about 5 centimetres is forecast tonight, with gusty winds continuing.

More snow is expected Thursday, with another 5 to 10 centimetres possible as snow levels rise slightly through the afternoon.