The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will be moving forward with permanent reconstruction to areas of Highway 5 (Coquihalla) and Highway 1 that were damaged during November’s flooding.

The request for proposals to select contractors for design and construction has been issued for the Bottletop Bridges, Juliet Bridges, and Jessica Bridges areas of the Coquihalla, and Malahat Tunnel Hill. Repairs done to these sites will return the highways to the previous capacity with improvements made to withstand future extreme weather events.

The Coquihalla contract is expected to be awarded in late April or early May, and construction is expected to begin in summer and be completed by the end of 2022. Construction on the Malahat section of Highway 1 is expected to begin in the spring.

Repairs to the Othello washout are also planned in the coming months, as well as other flood-damaged highways in BC, including Highway 8 in the Nicola Valley.

Please note there may be traffic delays throughout construction, including periods of single-lane alternating traffic and short, intermittent full closures. Drivers are reminded to drive for the conditions, observe construction zone speed limits, and follow the direction of traffic-control signs and personnel. Updates will be available online at DriveBC.ca and on Twitter at @DriveBC.