Send this page to someone via email

A portion of British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway will now feature commercial vehicle restrictions, the provincial government announced Wednesday.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said starting this week, it will be restricting commercial vehicles from using the far left lane on the Snowshed Hill section of the Coquihalla, between Box Canyon and Zopkios.

The province is calling it the ‘No Trucks in the Left Lane’ program and says other highway sections in B.C.’s Interior could fall under the program as well.

WATCH: Coquihalla truck drivers weigh in on the new rules

1:52 Province rolls out ‘No Trucks in Left Lane’ pilot Province rolls out ‘No Trucks in Left Lane’ pilot

According to the Ministry, the Coquihalla is one of the province’s busiest mountain passes. The highway also experiences extreme snowfalls, with accumulation sometimes exceeding 10 centimetres per hour.

Story continues below advertisement

Specifically, the government said it is focusing on the Coquihalla because heavy, wet snow between Hope and Merritt creates tricky road conditions, even with minor accumulations.

The ministry said over the past two winters, commercial vehicles have been spinning out in climbing sections more frequently during storms. In fact, the ministry said 33 of 35 extended closures on the Coquihalla during last winter involved commercial vehicles.

The ministry said what makes these closures even worse is that because the Coquihalla is a divided highway, snowplows often get caught in traffic lineups and, because of roadside barriers, are unable to turn around.

The province says a benefit of the new program will be better flowing traffic, which, in turn, will prevent snowplows from getting caught up in traffic lineups. Courtesy: Ministry of Transportation

READ MORE: New crashes raise questions about Coquihalla safety

Story continues below advertisement

The ministry added by restricting commercial vehicles from using the far left lane on Snowshed Hill, better traffic flow will be achieved.

The province noted that it has recently constructed and opened the Box Canyon chain-up area, a section that will accommodate up to 70 commercial vehicles.