Shut Down The Highway

I read your article on the two killed near Merritt at 6:30 Sat. morning.

I drive a Transport Truck over the Coquihalla to Delta and back nightly. I was disheartened to hear that people had lost their lives and here’s why.

I and another driver from my company were travelling Northbound towards Merritt from the toll booth. At Larson hill the road had been plugged earlier for several hours with vehicles unable to make it up the hill.

By the time we got there the road was solid ice in which one could barely stand. The backlog of vehicles was cleared up shortly before we arrived.

We chained up our rigs and carried on up the hill and down the dip at coldwater rd. and up the other side.

The road here was sanded so we took our chains off and proceeded towards Merritt.

A short distance later the roads were solid ice again. We came up to some jackknifed rigs and cars blocking the road in a curve at about 4:30 am.

We were able to stop by driving into fresh snow on the shoulder of the road. The road here was so slick that I could not stand on my feet without holding the side of the truck. More trucks and cars came along and as soon as they stopped they slid sideways off the road. Shortly thereafter several plow trucks came and they could not get by the vehicles until they put chains on.

We talked to the driver of the first plow, and he stated they were out of sand and had none to spread in the curve. We then suggested to him that they shut the road down, because someone is going to get killed.

The plows were able to squeak by the mess with chains on and left. We were fearful that someone would come down the road and mow us over and kill us. Moments later one of the trucks blocking the road managed to get out of the way. I grabbed my shovel and went to work.

My co worker joined in soon after. We dug sand out of the shoulders and the ditch and spread it throughout the curve by hand. We were able to get out of there and crawl our way towards Merritt.

My point is that there was no need for those people to die. An hour earlier we had suggested the road be shut down.

Someone should investigate the management of that stretch of highway to see why a fatal accident needs to take place to shut the road until it can be made safe for travel.

This road was in horrible shape all evening. In the US mountain passes they shut the road, plow, sand and then let the traffic flow.

Here we continue as if nothing is happening until someone dies, then call the Coroner, then the cops, then the road gets closed, then sanded.

I feel guilty for not doing more to get the road closed. I was focused on getting myself out of that situation alive. What could I have done?

I thought the plows would have radioed to have the roads closed. I guess nobody cares.

People shouldn't have to pay to drive a poorly managed road and die!

Jason Smith