Topic

Highway closures, wildfires & traffic safety (2026)

active transportation · 57 articles indexed · last activity 5 days ago

Coverage of highway reopenings and closures caused by wildfires, traffic safety enforcement, and construction-related delays on major BC highways including the Coquihala, Highway 1, Highway 97, and Highway 3.

Coverage Timeline

  1. Aug 27 Highway 1 reopens in the Fraser Canyon after seven-week closure due to wildfires ↗ CFJC Today details
  2. Aug 18 Summer campaign sees 24 impaired drivers removed from Kamloops-area highways: BC Highway Patrol ↗ CFJC Today details
  3. Aug 17 Semi fails inspection after speeding through construction zone on the Coquihalla ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  4. Faulty semi-truck taken out of service after speeding through Merritt construction zone ↗ CFJC Today details
  5. Mounties search for driver with important information about Coquihalla crash ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  6. Aug 15 Highway 97 to reopen in South Cariboo ↗ CFJC Today details
  7. Aug 13 Fire numbers ease in south Cariboo, while Coquihalla under threat again near Merritt ↗ Radio NL details
  8. Aug 11 Massive Ainslie Creek wildfire may close Highway 8 between Merritt and Spences Bridge ↗ CFJC Today details
  9. Aug 7 RCMP looking for witness of Coquihalla crash south of Merritt ↗ CFJC Today details
  10. Jul 31 Long-weekend delays expected on Coquihalla ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  11. Construction, holiday traffic to cause long-weekend delays on Coquihalla Highway ↗ CFJC Today details
  12. Jul 30 Extra caution urged on ‘low-volume’ Highway 24 amid Cariboo Highway closure ↗ CFJC Today details
  13. Jul 27 Man loses dealership’s car during ‘overnight test-drive’ from Vancouver to Kelowna ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  14. Driver ticketed near Merritt after BC Highway Patrol confirms test-driven vehicle can hit at least 172 km/h ↗ CFJC Today details
  15. Higher traffic volumes and construction will lead to more delays: DriveBC ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  16. Evacuees describe thick smoke seen while leaving 70 Mile House as Pear Lake wildfire grew ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  17. Jul 24 Highway 3 reopens after wildfire threat but Trans-Canada remains closed near Boston Bar ↗ CFJC Today details
  18. UPDATE: Wildfire started from motorhome on Hwy 5 now under control ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  19. Jul 23 UPDATE: Grassfire along Coquihalla near Kamloops under control; highway lane closed for vehicle recovery ↗ CFJC Today details
  20. No estimate when highways 1, 3 will reopen ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  21. Jul 22 Hwy 1 and Hwy 3 both closed on Interior side of Hope due to wildfires ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  22. Wildfires closing major routes, including Highway 1 and 3 ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  23. With flames in backyard, Boston Bar resident tells of B.C. town surrounded by fire ↗ InfoNews Kamloops details
  24. UPDATE: Wildfires close two major B.C. highways as Fraser Canyon evacuation orders expand ↗ CFJC Today details
  25. Jul 20 B.C. learner driver faces tickets for driving 168 km/h in 120 km/h zone ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  26. Speeding learner driver, 20, gets family’s new SUV impounded on Coquihalla ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  27. Williams Lake woman nabbed for excessive speed on Coquihalla, has father’s SUV impounded ↗ CFJC Today details
  28. Jul 17 UPDATE: Connector reopens eastbound after serious incident ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  29. Hwy 1 remains closed as BC wildfires threaten communities ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  30. Jul 16 UPDATE: Wildfire alongside the Coquihalla grows to 36 hectares ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  31. Evacuation order issued for Boston Bar; Highway 1 closes nearby due to wildfire ↗ CFJC Today details
  32. Jul 8 UPDATE: Traffic flowing normally as Coquihalla vehicle fire cleared ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  33. Coquihalla Highway reopens after vehicle fire outside Hope ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  34. Kamloops engulfed in fire smoke as Fraser Canyon fires seemingly explode ↗ Radio NL details
  35. Jul 5 Repairs, clean-up underway following Coquihalla Highway semi-truck fire ↗ CFJC Today details
  36. Jul 3 UPDATE: Coquihalla fully open again after semi fire ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  37. Semi-truck fire causing delays along Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt ↗ CFJC Today details
  38. Jun 30 BC Hydro expands fast-charge site at summit of Coquihalla Highway ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  39. Jun 20 Fast-moving wildfire threatens Lytton, shuts down TransCanada through Fraser Canyon ↗ Radio NL details
  40. UPDATE: Wildfire near Lytton now 'under control' at just over 700 hectares, Hwy 1 reopens ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  41. Jun 15 UPDATE: Coquihalla reopens after serious crash ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  42. Wrong-way crash on Coquihalla near Merritt leaves one dead ↗ Radio NL details
  43. Coquihalla Highway reopens after fatal wrong-way crash closes stretch ↗ CBC News British Columbia details
  44. Wrong-way driver killed in head-on crash on Coquihalla south of Merritt ↗ CFJC Today details
  45. Jun 11 Excessive speeding tickets rise across Kamloops region despite fewer overall violations ↗ Radio NL details
  46. Speeding tickets down in Kamloops area in May; excessive speeding up across the province ↗ CFJC Today details
  47. Jun 10 Hundreds of kilometres of highways and side roads in Kamloops area slated for resurfacing work ↗ CFJC Today details
  48. Jun 8 High-elevation snow possible for Hwy 97C and Hwy 3 over next 2 days ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  49. Jun 2 Motorcyclist airlifted to hospital after crash on Coquihalla Highway Monday ↗ CFJC Today details
  50. May 16 Snow warning still in effect for Allison Pass, Pennask Summit and Coquihalla ↗ Castanet Kamloops details
  51. May 15 Snowfall accumulation possible on Coquihalla and Pennask Summits May long weekend ↗ CFJC Today details
  52. Snow warnings issued for Coquihalla, Connector and Hwy 3 over long weekend ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  53. May 13 VIDEO: Alberta man driving through BC gets car impounded due to ‘compounding errors’ ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  54. DASHCAM VIDEO: Alberta driver nabbed for speeding, passing on double-solid lines near Kamloops ↗ CFJC Today details
  55. Strong wind gusts expected on the Coquihalla Highway and Okanagan Connector ↗ CFJC Today details
  56. Highway alerts issued for Coquihalla, Okanagan Connector ↗ KamloopsBCNow details
  57. May 11 “Something about our highways”: Central Interior drivers flagged in province-wide blitz ↗ Radio NL details

Linked Articles by Source

CFJC Today

KamloopsBCNow

Castanet Kamloops

Radio NL

InfoNews Kamloops

CBC News British Columbia

Key People, Organizations, and Places

city: Merritt , Boston Bar , Hope , Clinton , Lytton , Williams Lake , 70 Mile House , Kamloops

government_body: BC Wildfire Service , BC Highway Patrol , DriveBC , Thompson-Nicola Regional District , Fraser Valley Regional District , B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit

highway: Coquihala Highway , Highway 5 , Highway 1 , Coquihala Highway (Highway 5) , Highway 3 , Trans-Canada Highway , Highway 97 , Highway 97C , Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) , Coquihala (Highway 5)

region: Fraser Canyon

person: Michael McLaughlin

park: Manning Park

neighbourhood: Boston Bar

organization: BC Hydro

event: Ainslie Creek wildfire

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Source transparency: this page lists public news coverage of the topic above. We do not republish original reporting. Click any article title to view local metadata and a link to the original source. Last updated Aug 31, 2026 9:32 pm PDT.