(Vancouver) A major highway link connecting British Columbia’s lower mainland to the rest of the province will finally be reopened to traffic before day’s end Monday, five weeks after heavy rains that wreaked havoc.
Transport Minister Rob Fleming said on Wednesday that the mobilization of contractors and engineers to allow the reopening of the Coquihalla Highway is unprecedented, as is the atmospheric river that has swept through southern Colombia- British last month. At least 20 separate sections of the highway were destroyed or damaged by the flooding, including seven bridges.
Rob Fleming clarified that it is first goods trucks, commercial vehicles and buses that will be able to use the highway, in order to ensure priority access to the transport of goods and services.
Highway 3 is the only road link still available inland since the series of storms that led to the flooding. Authorities have indicated that some sections of the road will have to run in one lane in each direction. In addition, since electricity has not yet been restored in certain sectors, truckers will only have lighting on the road inside the snow guard galleries and the braking tests will be carried out at the help from generators.
Minister Fleming also announced that the day after the reopening of the highway, the opening of Coquihalla, the traffic advisory reserved for essential vehicles will be lifted on Highway 3.
However, he insists on reminding motorists to be very careful if they use Highway 3.
“It’s a safe road as long as people are prepared, responsible and adapt their driving to the road conditions, but it’s still a mountain road,” he said.
Experts worried about the thaw
A group of engineers say better weather coordination and observation practices could help British Columbia better prepare for natural disasters. They also warn that spring rains and thaw could worsen the damage from recent flooding.
These engineers from the University of British Columbia shared their preliminary observations in connection with the flooding last November with geotechnical engineer Jonathan Fannin, who fears that the snowmelt could further weaken already damaged structures like dikes. , highways and bridges.
Transportation engineer Amy Kim points out that lessons can be learned from the flooding to protect some critical infrastructure, shutting down some roads preventively and planning alternative routes.
Mr. Fannin believes that places like Hong Kong or Rio de Janeiro could serve as examples for British Columbia. In these large cities, a centralized warning system warns the population in the event of imminent danger or storms.
In Hong Kong, among others, residents receive alerts not to leave their homes when an extreme weather event is detected on radar.
As extreme weather events are expected to increase, he believes British Columbia could benefit from better monitoring of mudslides and debris passage in addition to better monitoring rivers and weather conditions. .
“I believe that we will have to improve our capacity to anticipate events, to disseminate alerts and to coordinate the contribution of a host of disciplines”, he maintained.