B.C. lifts travel restrictions on Hwy 7, moves to flood recovery mode

The military presence in B.C. due to devastating flooding in recent weeks is starting to scale down, while a major route that was restricted to essential travel only is now open to all travel.

Highway 7 between Mission and Hope is now open to all vehicles. However, Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton and Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet can still only be used for essential travel.

TRAVEL NEWS – #BChwy7 has been removed from Essential Travel Restrictions.
Open from Glasgow Ave at Murray Street in Mission to 1 km east of Hope.
Via @DriveBC – https://t.co/orMYwTXvOO

Both #BChwy3 and #BChwy99 remain under essential travel.

— BC Transportation (@TranBC) December 6, 2021

Members of the military who came to B.C. to help in the aftermath of devastating floods are starting to leave.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth thanked the Canadian Armed Forces troops Monday for providing “valuable assistance over the past weeks.”

However, 126 troops will remain in Chilliwack to support any life-saving work or emergency response needs.

“The forces have so far provided enormous help in our communities when they needed it most. We would not have gotten through the onslaught of heavy rains without them,” Farnworth said.

As weather conditions have improved and floodwaters receded in the past few days, Farnworth says the province is shifting to recovery and management work, “which was managed by contractors, nongovernmental organizations and a specialized contingent of B.C. Wildlife Services.”

The province, local governments, and First Nations will be working together to safely remove debris and other hazardous materials from the areas impacted by floods.

“There is much work that still needs to be done, and the province stands ready to go.”

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Farnworth adds that while intense storms have passed, the province is facing challenges in its recovery efforts because of winter conditions like the snow that fell over the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver over the past couple days.

“I ask people to be patient and to listen to the leadership from First Nations and local governments for the latest updates,” he said.

“While the focus is now recovering from the impacts of these storms, we are also fast approaching the holidays a time many of us gather with family and friends. Our province has been through an extremely challenging year. To be able to visit with those closest to us is more important than ever. But I want to remind everyone to plan ahead. Take your time to research your trip and check DriveBC for the latest updates on road conditions closures and detours.”

With the Coquihalla out of commission until well into the new year Highway 3 would be key but Transportation Minister Rob Fleming is clear that there is no timeline for when that will be open to anyone but commercial vehicles.

“We’re still seeing too many accidents and we need that situation to improve. We work very closely with the trucking industry to try and make this route as safe and efficient as possible. We issue detailed maps for drivers who may be unfamiliar with the road, we have new highway signage … there’s an enhanced winter road maintenance regime in place now and we have greater police presence along the highway,” he explained.

Talks are underway to see if more flights to the interior and beyond can be added.

“There’s lots of regular connections to places like Calgary. The airline industry is obviously interested in seeing what kind of additional regional and holiday service they can provide. So we’ll keep updating on what the industry is doing in terms of adding flights that may be able to help people with their holiday plans,” he said.

The Trans Mountain pipeline reopened on Sunday, but Farnworth says the province can’t say whether gas rationing measures will be eased before the scheduled end of the order.

“The pipeline has to be brought up to speed slowly, so it has to be pressurized over a number of days. And at the same time, while that is taking place, then there has to be new feedstock going to the Parkland refinery, for example, where it has to be refined. This also takes a little bit of time.”

Re gas — @mikefarnworthbc asking ppl to continue curbing travel and conserving gas — even with #transmountain pipes flowing – it’s not an immediate fix will take some time to get capacity back.#bcpoli @CityNewsVAN

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) December 6, 2021

The Trans Mountain pipeline feeds the Burnaby Refinery, the key source of gasoline for the Lower Mainland.

So far, $8.6 million in relief funding has already been doled out to those affected by the flooding. And as of Dec. 15, the B.C. government will hand over control of the on-the-ground assistance for flood victims to the Red Cross.