Just a week before the Coquihalla crash that sent 29 people to hospital, concerns were being raised about the safety of the highway.

害羞草研究所淭he reliability of the Coquihalla has never been this prominent in conversations with us,害羞草研究所� said Michael Ballingall, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Big White Ski Resort, in a story the Capital News ran last week.

害羞草研究所淲e hear about it every day.害羞草研究所�

Regular reports of highway closures, eye witness accounts of transport trucks skidding out of control and a series of weather alerts from Environment Canada are making their way to their Lower Mainland clientele and they害羞草研究所檙e responding, said Ballingall. With every issue that arises, central reservations staff fields queries about road safety and requests to cancel reservations. Just last weekend, portions of the highway were closed at least twice.

RELATED: FEAR AND CHAOS ON THE COQUIHALLA

That kind of frequency has even the mountain害羞草研究所檚 most loyal guests chiming in.

害羞草研究所淟ast year, family day weekend, we spent the night on the highway. It had become a skating rink. It was mayhem. Trucks and cars everywhere. We left at 2 p.m. and didn害羞草研究所檛 get to Big White until 6 a.m. and we were one of the fortunate ones. Our friends were turned around after spending hours on the highway and never made it. Others never made it to Big White until noon the next day,害羞草研究所� reads one of the letters to Ballingall.

害羞草研究所淭his year, again on Family Day weekend we were once again re-routed due to the highway closure due to a multi-car accident and had to take Highway 3. We were also stuck on this highway as three semis had jack-knifed and cars couldn害羞草研究所檛 get through. This time it took us over eight hours to get through. We are re-considering Big White now as a vacation destination as we will not continue to drive the highways the way they are currently maintained and jeopardize our safety害羞草研究所� they don害羞草研究所檛 make a show called Highway thru Hell for nothing害羞草研究所�

When asked for comment, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure acknowledged this has been a challenging winter, with 害羞草研究所渨ell above average amounts of snowfall for the Coquihalla.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚n fact, this January the highway experienced 235 centimetres of snowfall, which is 153 cm more than last year,害羞草研究所� said a ministry representative.

害羞草研究所淥n a high mountain pass, such as the Coquihalla, storm systems often bring extremely heavy and wet snowfall events and it only takes a few minutes for snow to accumulate and become compacted on the road surface.害羞草研究所�

During winter storms, contractors have every available piece of equipment in use, and also increase the frequency of patrols when a winter weather event is forecasted and add extra enforcement for chain-up on the Snowshed Hill.

害羞草研究所淭he ministry recognizes the importance of this highway to the ski industry and makes every effort to ensure that the snow drawing skiers to the interior is not the same thing that keeps them away,害羞草研究所� said ministry staff.

They added, that while the highway travels through some very challenging terrain, it害羞草研究所檚 important to recognize that the number of serious crashes continues to trend downwards over the last 10 years. They did not offer a number that could support that assertion.

害羞草研究所淲hile we are concerned about the perception that highway conditions affect B.C.害羞草研究所檚 tourism industry by limiting skier visits, we are pleased that resorts like Sun Peaks near Kamloops posted a new record for skier visits last year,害羞草研究所� said ministry staff.

To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.

kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com
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