The province is lifting fuel restrictions for the southwest region of B.C. as gas supplies have recovered after flooding in mid-November.
The restrictions, which limited drivers to 30 litres per gas station visit, will be lifted as of end of day Tuesday (Dec. 14).
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e confident in the supply chain when it comes to fuel,B次元官网网址� said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, adding that the Trans Mountain pipeline coming online, along with supplies coming by barge and rail, have restored the provinceB次元官网网址檚 supplies.
Farnworth cautioned that there are months of recovery to go and extended the provincial state of emergency for another two weeks.
Despite recent snowfall, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said that work was continuing to fix the provinceB次元官网网址檚 shattered highway network, including repairs at 20 separate damaged sites along the Coquihalla.
B次元官网网址淎bout 130 kilometres of the corridor sustained damage to that highway,B次元官网网址漢e said. B次元官网网址淭he level of destruction from the first storm on Nov. 14 was difficult to comprehend for all of us and seeing it up close was unfathomable.B次元官网网址�
The transportation minister said that on Friday, crews were able to establish bridge access at the northern and southern entry points to the 130-kilometre damaged area, speeding up the movement of construction equipment.
Fleming said that the Coquihalla could reopen to commercial traffic earlier than the previously announced date of mid-January and that Highway 3 could open to non-essential traffic at some point this holiday season, though he stressed that there were no guarantees.
The minister warned that there would be B次元官网网址渮ero toleranceB次元官网网址� for reckless driving or speeding, by either commercial trucks or the general public. There have been 116 tickets handed out on Highway 3, the lone corridor connecting the south coast to the interior, in December so far, and the company whose semi-truck was caught on camera driving erratically along Highway 5A has had its licence to operate in B.C. revoked.
Fleming said that once the Coquihalla is able to reopen to commercial traffic, expected to happen by the end of the holiday season, that will take commercial truckers off of Highway 3.
Fleming said that although the province does expect an influx of holiday traffic along Highway 3 once it opens, many British Columbians will also heed public health advice and stay close to home instead.
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