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'Remarkable' reconstruction on Highway 1 allows it to reopen in B.C.: minister

VICTORIA — Another patch in British Columbia's damaged highway system has been completed as the province reopened Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon on Monday.
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Highway 1 is pictured during a fly over the flood damage in Abbotsford, B.C., November 23, 2021. Another patch in British Columbia's damaged highway system has been completed as the province reopened Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon on Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VICTORIA — Another patch in British Columbia's damaged highway system has been completed as the province reopened Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon on Monday. 

Large sections of the highway were damaged or washed away when a series of record-setting rainstorms swept over southern B.C. in November. 

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the construction and engineering accomplishments to get people and goods moving again after the highway was heavily damaged are "nothing short of remarkable." 

A statement from the Transportation Ministry says drivers travelling the route should plan for delays of two hours or more due to ongoing repairs. 

An 80-metre-long, single-lane temporary bridge installed at Jackass Mountain replaces a large section of two-lane road that was destroyed in the storms. 

Truckers using the route are being warned that their loads are limited to 25 metres in length until the rehabilitation of the highway bridge at Nicomen River is complete. 

Because there's also a high avalanche risk in the canyon this year, drivers are being told to expect closures on short notice for avalanche control and cleanup. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2022. 

The Canadian Press

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