B.C. holiday travellers hindered by ferry delays and highway closures

Kevin Ilomin has travelled the Coquihalla Highway safely on countless occasions, but when his bus got stuck in the snow on the way to Kelowna on Monday, he was starting to think this trip might have a different outcome. 

“I have had trips were the snow was worse … but I think it was just the perfect storm of delays, accidents, or other vehicles being stuck on the roads, that made it particularly difficult and worrying about whether I get out in one piece, or in time for tomorrow,” he says in an interview Tuesday. 

Ilomin, a longtime resident of Kelowna, who works in Vancouver, says his bus left Vancouver around 4:50 p.m., about 20 minutes behind schedule, and arrived in Kelowna three hours behind schedule at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

The Coquihalla, one of the major routes between the south coast and the Interior, was shut at about 10 p.m. on Monday because of a number of vehicle incidents and didn’t reopen until Tuesday afternoon. 

The closure was one of a series of setbacks for people wanting to travel in the province on Monday, including a windstorm that forced BC Ferries to cancel dozens of sailings between the mainland and Vancouver Island. Highway 3 also remains closed after being heavily damaged in a series of storms earlier this month. 

Ilomin says the worst part of the trip was between Hope and the Great Bear Snow Shed about an hour north of Hope. 

“There was a point, where we had kind of gotten stuck in the snow at one point for just a few minutes,” he says. “Thankfully, our driver was able to navigate out of it.” 

Ilomin says other travellers on the highway were not so lucky. He says multiple vehicles, including semi-trailers, had either pulled over, or became stuck in the snow. 

He shared his bus with about a dozen people, and says they were all worried about getting to their destinations on time and unscathed.

“Yeah, a lot of frustrations, because, of course, it’s the holidays,” he says. “We wanted to get up (that mountain) safe and sound.” 

Katie Ward, deputy director, southern Interior, with the Transportation Ministry, says the Coquihalla received about 200 centimetres of snow in the last week and 30 centimetres in the last 24 hours. 

Ward says the closure started with a jackknifed semi. 

“Then other commercial vehicles collided with that semi,” she says.

No serious injuries were reported. 

“The highway is in compact condition, with some narrowed lanes due to snow banks,” Ward says. “Contractors are actively working to widen those out in areas, where they can, and drivers should be prepared for winter driving conditions.” 

Ward says the current winter conditions for B.C.’s Interior are seasonal, “but the combination of storms is on the higher end” for this period. 

“Right now, our forecast is looking like a more average winter snow, so in the neighbourhood of five to 10 centimetres across the Interior regions.”

Ward adds that another significant storm system may be moving across the region closer to New Year’s, and she says drivers should be prepared. 

Ilomin says travelling by road during the winter has always been stressful, especially with limited time during the holidays. 

“I’m slated to return this Friday on an 11:30 bus to try and make a dinner in Abbotsford with family, and I’m already worried about not making it, if I am delayed three to four hours again.” 

The Transportation Ministry has said it hopes to be able to reopen the Highway 3 between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2025.