British ColumbiaThe Transportation Ministry said the sinkhole appears to be the result of pipeline boring in the area, and that there is no timeline for repairs or reopening.DriveBC says that part of the highway will remain closed until further noticeCBC News · Posted: Jun 06, 2025 3:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoB.C.’s Transportation Ministry says its maintenance contractor discovered the sinkhole Thursday evening, which appears to be the result of pipeline boring. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation)A major highway in B.C. is closed between Hope and Merritt due to “urgent [sinkhole] repairs.”DriveBC says the critical Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) stretch has been closed both northbound and southbound just south of the Great Bear Snowshed as of Saturday morning.Motorists looking to travel on the Coquihalla are being asked to divert to either Highway 1 or Highway 3.On Friday, the highway was partially closed in the southbound fast lane and fully closed northbound due to the sinkhole.⛔️ REMINDER – #BCHwy5 remains closed in BOTH DIRECTIONS between #HopeBC and #Merritt due to emergency sink hole repairs. Next update is 4:00 PM PDT. Please note this is NOT an estimated time of reopening. #Coquihalla pic.twitter.com/6qCkoDiwpr—@DriveBCThe ministry said its maintenance contractor discovered the sinkhole Thursday evening in the northbound slow lane of the highway, about 80 kilometres south of Merritt.It said the sinkhole appears to be the result of pipeline boring in the area, and that there is no timeline for repairs or reopening.The closure was first reported by DriveBC at around 8:30 p.m. Thursday at a location between the Portia and Zopkios brake check exits, about three kilometres south of the Great Bear Snowshed.The next update to the stretch is expected at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, though DriveBC notes that is not an estimated reopening time.Vehicles are seen as they drive along the Coquihalla Highway in January 2022. The highway’s northbound and southbound lanes have been closed between Hope and Merritt. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)The ministry said as repairs to the northbound lane proceeded Friday morning, it was determined that southbound lanes could also be affected.The southbound fast lane was closed around noon PT on Friday as a precaution while further investigations took place.DriveBC previously said the earliest that traffic might resume was around noon on Friday, but in an update on X, it said the highway will remain closed until further notice.With files from The Canadian Press
Urgent sinkhole repair closes Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt
