Highway 5 traffic management revised: Ministry

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

After receiving complaints about extended wait times on Highway 5, the Ministry of Transportation has directed road paving company Terus to develop a new traffic management plan.

The company began repaving a 24-kilometre stretch of the Highway in late July. The work is expected to conclude in fall 2025, but the Ministry did not provide an exact end date to The Goat.

In a press release announcing the repaving project, the ministry said the work would result in delays of up to 15 minutes. However, some residents have reported delays over three times as long.

One resident of Dome Creek emailed The Goat to say his wife had been towing three horses when they hit a 45-minute stop on the highway. She had to leave her vehicle to soak the horses with water and keep them cool, and long drives are stressful for horses, he said.

Other residents told The Goat they faced delays ranging from 30 minutes to an hour.

In an email statement to The Goat, the Ministry said Terus was responsible for developing a traffic management plan for the project.

“The ministry regularly monitors traffic management on projects, and in this case, operations were halted last week due to extended wait times,” the statement reads. “Work is again underway with a new traffic management plan and is expected to complete by fall 2025.”

The statement added that drivers should check DriveBC for updates on traffic.