‘Extensive damage’ to B.C.’s Highway 3 to Alberta

Aerial images show contractors working to repair damage to Highway 3 in B.C. (X.com / @EAMOperations)

The British Columbia government says it’s uncertain when a stretch of major highway linking the Lower Mainland to Alberta will reopen after last week’s atmospheric river rainfall event destroyed and damaged culverts and washed away a portion of roadway.

The Ministry of Transportation said Wednesday that 22 locations along Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton were damaged, including 11 sites where the damage was “extensive.”

“The damage includes five culvert failures resulting in partial road washouts,” the ministry statement said. “These sites require excavation and full culvert replacement.”

The ministry also said that another site discovered Tuesday suffered a blocked culvert, and water has “undermined and washed away a portion of the highway and roadside barrier.”

Repairs have been further challenged by ongoing harsh weather, with a snowfall warning in effect Wednesday due to a system that also brought heavy rain and high winds across southern B.C.