Four-hour Coquihalla closure

Drivers are advised that a section of the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt will be closed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today (Jan. 8), to allow for avalanche control.

The route has seen heavy snowfall over the last several weeks, and a helicopter will be used to reduce the avalanche danger north of the Coquihalla Summit.

The province says the project will remove weak layers of snow and ice, and reduce the overall depth of the snowpack, making it safer.

The highway will be closed southbound in Merritt and northbound at Hope beginning at 11 a.m., and closed northbound at Portia and southbound at Zopkios beginning at noon.