B.C.’s Transportation Minister says there have been too many crashes on Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton which at the moment is the only route for semis travelling between Metro Vancouver and the rest of the province.

“It is crucial to our supply chain. [There have been] about 10,000 trucks between that route and the transit route we have negotiated with the State of Washington,” Rob Fleming said. “They are both very important but Highway 3 is by far more significant.”

“We’ve issued detailed maps for drivers who may be unfamiliar with the road. We have new highway signage warning of steep and winding conditions. There is an enhanced winter road maintenance regime in place now and we have a greater police presence along the highway,” Fleming added, during Monday’s update on flooding and repairs.

“We’ll continue to look at ways to support drivers but at the end of the day, we need all drivers to slow down, to be patient, and to drive to the unique conditions of this route.”

He also said there is no timeline as to when those essential travel restrictions could be lifted on Highway 3, when asked if family members will be able to visit each other over the holidays.

“We’re working with the trucking industry, for example, to get to a zero accident point and working with the industry closely on making that safe. We’ve got winter conditions…enhance the maintenance on Highway 3,” Fleming said.

“But in terms of opening up the restrictions that are in place to general travel, we can’t do that at this point in time.”

Those travel restrictions will be lifted on Highway 7 between Hope and Agassiz today as Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley opened to commercial traffic last Thursday.

While Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet is another route that connects Metro Vancouver to the Interior, Fleming says that highway is meant for smaller vehicles only. He said anything larger than a cube van is too big for that highway.

Fleming also noted that crews are working around the clock on the the Coquihalla, though it isn’t expected to open to essential traffic until late January. As well, Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon isn’t expected to open to essential traffic until mid- January.

For now, people are still being told to limit their travel for the time being unless it is necessary, though Fleming says B.C. is “trending in the right direction” as it works to get the highway network back to where it was before the first significant storm which hit about three weeks ago.