Portions of Hope highways will be closed over the next three days while urgent repair work is done on sections impacted by December flooding.
According to a news release on Monday (Jan. 19) from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT), the contractor will implement full closures at four locations.
The locations include two daytime closures on highways 1 and 3 westbound between the Highway 3/5 split and the Hunter Creek Scale, and a nighttime closure on Highway 5 southbound in Merritt for paving at the Highway 3/5 split east of Hope.
“The highways will be fully closed to complete repairs as quickly as possible, given the safety concerns associated with the current pavement conditions and the favourable weather window available this week to undertake this urgent work,” the news release reads.
Today (Jan. 20), paving work will take place on Highway 3 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Traffic will be diverted through Exit 173 — the Old Hope Princeton Highway in Hope. A detour through town will reconnect traffic to Highway 1 westbound west of Hope.
Highway 3 traffic will be diverted through Exit 173 again tomorrow (Jan. 21), while Highway 1 paving occurs west of Hope from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Traffic will detour via Water Avenue and be routed to Highway 7 to rejoin Highway 1 westbound via Highway 9, or continue toward the Lower Mainland via Highway 7.
Finally, on Thursday (Jan. 22), overnight split paving work on Highway 3 and 5 east of Hope is slated for 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. The work will close Highway 5 southbound in Merritt while Highway 3 westbound traffic from Princeton to Hope will move through a reduced-speed zone near the work area.
“During the closure windows, drivers are reminded to slow down, follow signage and obey traffic-control officials. Drivers are advised to expect delays and allow for additional travel time on these days,” the release states.
The province advises drivers to visit DriveBC.ca for the most current information.