Can accommodate nearly 70 commercial trucks
Commercial trucks travelling on the Coquihalla will now have plenty more space to chain up their tires.
The new and improved Box Canyon chain-up station, located 32 kilometers north of Hope, is now open. It can accommodate nearly 70 trucks, as opposed to the 10 to 15 that the old station could hold.
Trent Folk, District Manager of the Thompson-Nicola, says it's a much-needed upgrade.
“With the traffic volumes, and the commercial vehicle volumes that we have on the Coquihalla, combined with the challenging terrain and the weather – having a safe spot for the commercial trucks to pull off the highway outside the avalanche path is certainly a big safety improvement for the highway,” he says.
The $17.6 million dollar project was completed this past August, and was funded by both the Province, and the Federal Government's Building Canada Fund.
From October to March, commercial truck drivers in the region are required to put chains on their tires, with some routes requiring it until April.
An instructional video on how to navigate the station can be found here.
