Vehicle Incident Closes Coquihalla
- 10 hours ago
- 1 min read
March 8 2026 - The Coquihalla Highway is closed in both directions between Merritt and Kamloops following a vehicle incident Sunday afternoon.
According to DriveBC, the closure is in effect along Highway 5 between Exit 290 at Merritt and Chuwhels Mountain Road, a stretch of about 43 kilometres.
The incident is reported between roughly 13 kilometres south of Kamloops and 7 kilometres north of Merritt. While details remain limited, early information suggests the crash may involve multiple vehicles.
A detour is available via Highway 97C to Highway 97D.
Highway 5A is also open to passenger vehicles, though commercial vehicles face a 70 per cent load restriction.
The closure comes as winter conditions move through the Coquihalla summit area.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Merritt to Kamloops section of the highway, with flurries expected tonight and about five centimetres of snow possible. Snow levels are forecast to drop to the valley bottom, with fog patches and gusty winds also expected.
Temperatures at higher elevations such as Desmond Hill, about seven kilometres south of the Highway 97D junction, are expected to fall below freezing Sunday evening and overnight, which could lead to icy road conditions.
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