The Coquihalla: 20 Months Through the Mountains 

As did my Grampa.. thats why im watching this.. :)

mycarpounds, Same with me,

Cool. I worked on the Kingsvale overpass, and still have a Coquihalla signboard that they put up along the route for when Bill Bennett and his entourage toured along it.

@@blueman5924 I was part of that entourage!

A young man named Robert Alexander Drake who was employed as a road builder in this area and frequented Kamloops in late 1989, from what we know he had a very short romantic relationship with a young female nurse in Kamloops, any info elaborating on the situation would be appreciated! Thank you

It's because diversity is our strength. No one agrees on anything, and the tax dollars just go into the void.

@@booishoois309 The socreds also knew how to build things. Say what you will about them in other regards but they could get massive much needed building projects done on schedule and without bankrupting BC. I think BCs next megaproject should be to provide gigabit speed internet to every corner of BC rural and urban alike. It wouldnt even be that "mega" because you could just run the cable along the existing BCHydro power poles which was done with BCTel phone lines. Internet connectivity has been proven an economic necessity and such a "BCNet" would be a massive real investment into BCs economic future.

Might have to remove a tree or displace a snail. We can’t have that now can we?

Back in the days when our countries had dollars AND SENSE!

Well, over here in Germany it takes decades to build an airport, and every infrastructure project is stopped because of some rare species found on the site...

service has gone way down the drain now. even in Alberta, highway projects take years. Took 4+ years just to complete one little overpass for a street on the south side of Edmonton. All these delays are nonsense.

I think regulations are far more onerous now. Causing red tape to slow everything down.

No one wants to build for infrastructure, because it doesn't win elections and it's expensive as hell. And there is too much red tape now because of environmental/indigenous concerns.

You live in bc a progressive hole what did you expect. High regulation and environmental assesments make everything unaffordable

Im so glad this comments on this video. 😂 oh the times, they are a changing.

Loved that time too! It was a great time to be young and in BC. Would take the Grayhound to visit my sister who was waitressing in Manning Park.

Do not forget BC place and the Trade and convention centre also being built by the government

They didn’t have safety authorities and no emission bullshit to deal with back then. Men are not men anymore that’s why everything takes forever

Least ye forget in 09' CPR went Through a Mountain from opposite ends perfectly.

I forgot about that!! Watching this video, all I can think is "Why doesn't the government work this way now?" *Goes into a dream-like state of wishful thinking*

thanks

We love u

Did you enjoy the Icefields Parkway?

@@JesusFriedChrist Yes, pretty neat driving up that Glacier in a bus.

@@JesusFriedChrist Peyto Lake was spectacular as was lake Louise, we were there mid June Lake Louise was still partially ice covered, Banff and Jasper both loaded with Caribou walking everywhere, absolutly the best trip ever.

I was thinking it was 80s TV Theme music that never made it into a show.

zzZzZzzzzz

The highway was desperately needed because #1 and #3 were well beyond capacity. Kilometers long traffic jams had become normal

~ Try driving it in the winter!

I remember the Hope-Princeton, & the old Kicking Horse Pass! You're right! It was a beauty trip not everyone is anxious to spend those extra hours in the car! ..👍🇨🇦

if you were coming from kelowna it used to take 8 hours taking that route. That's a full day of driving, two or three meal stops, snacks and then gas stops every 300km or so back then. So yeah I'll bet it disturbed some businesses, but at the same time, it just makes sense. Today you can go to Vancouver and back, do shit while your there, and still make it back to kelowna just after dark.

@@DOWNTOWN_AUDIO while in Vancouver I was talking to local resident asked me where we were from, Michigan I told him and our itinerary which was extensive travel throughout the province, he said sounds like amazing trip and added most people in Vancouver would never make the same trip, I didn't think much of it at the time but after our trip I thought how sad that they have this beautiful country and most would never see it.

Yeah, back in the day people had alot less money in BC. BC was actually a poorer province until it was connected. The coquihalla opened the doors to so much trade, I mean now Vancouver gets its diesel and gasoline from Canadian suppliers like alberta. It's trucked in, right over that pass. Same with the other direction, it enables Alberta's and Saskatchewans populations to have access to things like fresh produce that had to be flown to Vancouver. A larger variety of toys and stuff for kids, and access to everything that's made in Vancouver too! Because of the coquihalla, the rest of Canada benefits from that sea port in Vancouver because we can just truck it or train it.

@@DOWNTOWN_AUDIO NO WE DON'T get diesel and gasoline from Alberta in Vancouver. Where in the world did you get that false information from? In Metro Vancouver almost all of our gasoline and diesel comes from the very limited local refineries and from WA state.

As a BC er. That road is beautiful and deadly. They dont call it Highway Thru Hell for no reason. I ended up in a 14 car pile up. And we ruined everybodies day that was hoping to make it off the mountian that evening. The smartest thing I saw was a local who knew a thing or two. Pulled out a sleeping bag from her trunk. Got into her front seat and bundled up for a long winters nap. Make sure if you're hauling thru there in the winter, you're prepared for a 6 hour pitstop. It happens in two shakes of a lambs tail. Love that road in good weather

One in how many years?

@@mvd4436 Coq's coming up to her 40th birthday in 2024.

Why asphalt instead of Portland concrete?

Oh wow!

Another fact to put Quebec and BC in perspective. The Olympic stadium in Montreal cost over $1 billion dollars in the early 70's and BC Place cost $100 million, 10 years later in the mid 80's. The Montreal stadium cost was mostly due to corruption

Don't I know it@@Civilianmusic

Wow! The whole coquihalla was build for less @ $955 million!

Things in general didn’t get done any faster but the deadline of the opening of Expo ‘86 definitely sped things up. As mentioned at the beginning of the video the plan for a new highway was started in the 70’s.

Canada legalized the weed youre smokin

@@malcontender6319 You, like, prefer a lot of governmental oversight? you some kind of communist? lol

LMAO. this freeway was very poorly designed and built, which is typical of Canadian infrastructure

@@trickolas78 Name one country with better infrastructure... or don't respond because you can't. LoL, weirdest trolls show up in the wackest places. Where the fuck DID you COME from anyway? and how'd you get so POOR yet so cocky?? (I understand)

Federal yes but it is in the west and therefore not on Ottawa's radar.

it would be too destructive to expand the canyon section that was replaced for the most part by the coquihalla

Ana Pollo nothing to do with the Fraser canyon. It’s from Kamloops to Alberta. A lot has been done but still a lot of 2 lane road and freight truck traffic is unbelievable now in that corridor.

Doug Berry ah, my husband made a comment with my account... again... haha I let him know.

Interestingly enough it's not "technically" a federal highway as in its not federal jurisdiction not the way the US interstates are (and indeed there will never be a truly federal highway in peacetime because of the separation of powers in the constitution) it was just an interprovincial agreement that each province would build said highway to link up with eachothers sections and receive federal funding assistance to do so During part of the WAC Bennett administration during negotiations over the Columbia river treaty where the federal government was initially trying to overstep its constitutional jurisdiction and negotiate selling a provincial resource to the Americans without our input highway 1 was given regular BC highway shield markers and apparently some still exist (there's still a policy of not replacing road signs with updated ones unless the information they convey is now incorrect or they're too worn out to read)

It was built by white people, buddy... its one of the most racist highways ever constructed in the history of the galaxy.

@@dirttdude haha

~ Are you serious? This has to be the worst designed highway in Canada if not North America. You obviously haven't driven it between October and April. Close to deadly! One night driving south from Kamloops in early December 2010, I couldn't see anything! The only way I stayed on the road was the neverending rumble strip on the right side of the road. 19 km per hour(12mph)! They need way more snow sheds on this route and a lessor grade.

There are many worse highways to drive in the interior. Hwy 12 between Lillooet and Lytton has a one lane section on the edge of a steep cliff and it goes around the corner. 20 years ago there was not even a guard rail

@@BCHistory We drove that hwy 12 back in 1976 going to Pavillion lake. I know the 1 lane part with the cliff well. We were driving a 1964 Rambler Classic that was on it's last legs. A real nail-biter!

Do you know about all the TREE'$ being cut down in B.C to fuel Englands POWER PLANT'$ ? tell tho$e to$$er'$ to build a few REACTOR'$ EH !

🙏🙏🙏 prayers for all in Kelowna BC..and the rest that are being affected by the fires🙏🙏🙏

@@malcontender6319 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏼🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏼

Ya same, I drive this every 2 weeks. Always wonder what madlads made this

My father and uncle did the B.C.Place Project,they both worked for Johnson Terminal. Then they both hauled Beams from Vancouver, start to finish. Shortly after they both retired,NY uncke got restless and went back to work for the Vancouver Movie Industry. Before he passed his last movie was Insomia, he drove Al Pachino to Long Beach,filmed in my hometown Port Alberni, he lived with Robin Williams and Al,in Alaska for 3 month's, he knew of his problems and only said at the time,he was a genius, charismatic but had some issues. ❤

Not exactly something id be proud of. Your father’s efforts resulted in a poorly build freeway

@@trickolas78 More like the engineer's deal not the worker's.

Glad you enjoyed it!

The Expo 86 documentary was far better than this

Any stories to tell?

and the inflation an political foney baloney and john deere crapper and crack pots.

that were the days of dyno mite and builds with true grit in their bellies. no slack it probably was like al can highway or an episode on the road to barrow on the ic e road trucker wit a lady like lisa kelly and lack jessie and a trucker named darrel who could log and drive an ice road. he died in a plane crash and burn.

look at the mess the usa interstate systems. leave ytit to the Canada to figure it out. . in the auto industry Detroit shut down to go to windsor canad and south of the us border to make wiring harnesses in mexico . and trillions of computer chips in Taiwan.

Glad you liked it!

Somebody has to hold up those unused shovels!

I had a similar experience with the connector in 1989. Felt like my Land Cruiser was a Matchbox toy among Tonka toys

@@BCHistory you guys to? I had bought a copper Plymouth at the Hydro auction and had a hardhat in the back window. At Merritt the road crew waved my INTO the Coq. just before it opened, but the bridge work still had by[asses. Hilarious tour in advance!!

I disagree. Look at how fast the repairs were done after November 2021. With enough money and enough workers this can be done. IN 19834 the government put a lot of money behind the project and accelerated it a lot.

Fund their swiss bank accounts enough and the red tape goes away......

@@BCHistorythat's all it takes. Folks holding the money actually moving the funds towards a project and staying committed to it.

​@@BCHistoryI respectfully disagree. Our technology has improved tenfold and yet mega projects are consistently over budget and behind schedule. Case in point, the Trans mountain pipeline. In the 1950's it took less than 3 years to fully complete a 1200+ km stretch of 24 inch steel pipeline with antiquated technology. The reported cost upon completion was 93 million which equates to roughly 1.8 billion at our current dollar value. If you compare that to the current trans mountain pipeline which is a 36 inch steel pipeline employing state of the art technology in its construction, costs are roughly 20 times that of its predecessor and it still is not done after 4 years. The government is throwing money at this project, so it can't be for a lack of funding. There is clearly something wrong with our current ability to deliver these types of mega projects.

you must not live here i guess?

+Lar M very true, the worst though in my opinion is very heavy rain and fog down in the valley near hope where there are tons of sharp curves

heavy snow is to blame not the road lol

It’s really not. I’ve done it when the highway got closed an hour after I got off it and it really wasn’t that bad. Proper tires and a good driver and you’ll have no issues.

@@Durataurwell aren’t you special. Would you like a cookie?

@@trickolas78 It’s not even a brag at all. I’m just saying that people make the Coq out to be far worse than it actually is. It’s kinda a joke.

The Coquihalla doesn’t run through Chilliwack. You must have been very drunk that day. Glad you didn’t kill anyone 😣😣😣

I agree with you, I'm tired of looking at the social credit emblems of the party that has been dead for over 40 years

@ I was talking about also to have a thing where collector plates can be replica plates of what plates looked like when the car was new. For example someone with a 1963 car under the collector plate program can have a plate that looks exactly like the 1963 license plate just with a valid number and a space to put a modern validation sticker. For collector vehicles made after the transition to "reusable" plates they could have a reproduction year sticker that goes on the front license plate (the valid one being on the rear as usual) Those in the vanity plate program could choose to have their plate printed on the different bases that have been used over the years including the blue plate white letter and white plate blue letter. Maybe even have an option to pay extra and have an outright custom picture as well so long as the plate itself is not illegible. I like the flag logo better than Gordon Campbell's yellow sun logo (which looks like the BCLib party emblem) its just more of a nonpartiasn logo being that its just an easier to print version of the flag itself. The actual social credit party emblem was not the flag logo logo. As far as I can tell the BC social credit party emblem was a stylized map of BC within a blue box as can be seen here: searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uploads/r/null/1/f/1fb30890ca67c6576f74af41131ed990fdaef961a5a4122bb035af12609cc6d8/b2d9177b-1672-4b5f-ba49-b049add2a84a-CVA180-7394.jpg

Lol

This was almost 40 years ago. A lot has changed in that time

You don't live here, do you

born here, live here, have driven everywhere in Canada, from coast to coast. Lived in Alberta for 5 years, where winters are frozen Hells, but they keep the roads open through it all. You have not driven in, say, Great Britain have you. @@freddexta3363

The problem is it benefits Albertans way more than us. There are so many improvements to be made to our internal highways with that money instead. Indeed as they say "subsidize what you want more of" and I don't think anyone in the interior wants more red plates on the road. The flip side is though if you had some highway patrol out there giving out tickets for left lane hogging and tailgating with the increased number of Albertans on the road the highway would pay for itself in 6 months

Actually it would benefit the entire country, or did you forget about what is east of Alberta?

@@troubleve6trb145 More "benefit" to the "rest of the country" off the back of the British Columbia treasury. Those other provinces can chip in the funding then because from my perspective using money that could be used to help people more locally on shaving a few minutes off a route to the see for outsider benefit isnt worth it especially with all the increased debt everyone is under because of this year. Sad truth is the interior really doesnt make much money off of the goods that pass through it from the easterners to the Pacific it would likely be a net cost to us

@@user-xg8yy7yl1d so I guess the dockworkers, transport drivers and restaurant employees where the transport drivers plus others eat don’t benefit in anyway. Not to mention improved access for the interior residents along the route to the lower mainland would have no benefit for BC.

@@troubleve6trb145 I think there are a few more urgent things that could be done For example I think there needs to be a Golden-Valemount connection. I discovered the need for it when I was planning a trip to Hudsons Hope to see the Bennett dam (which I havent done yet because of covid) and its a GLARINGLY OBVIOUS deficiency in our highway system. Currently if you want to get from southeastern BC to northeastern BC you have to go all the way around through Kamloops which adds an entire day to the trip. It wouldnt even be that long of a road to build you just have to push a road between highway 23 at Mica Creek to highway 5 at Blue River. Two BC towns would massively benefit as well as thousands of British Columbians would have improved access to other parts of BC. I guess what im saying is we need to improve travel within BC before we focus on travel to the border

really? spent a week camping on the coldwater this summer, never even pulled the pan out of the truck, too busy exploring the flood damage

BC has huge amounts of large capital projects going on at the moment, enough that worker shortages are serious problem. Site C, Kitimat LNG, Skytrain, several pipelines, and large numbers of housing/retail/commercial developments are currently underway. BC is building a lot. Look up the provincial Major Projects Inventory

I swear to god these “Back in the day” comments have no idea what they are talking about. Every generation says this about the next, “back in my day”

I can't see that happening

@@BCHistory I think it should though. We have a massive housing crisis in our province, and building a bridge there would enable a lot of housing to be built along the Sea to Sky. Too many people are moving to Alberta because it has more affordable housing.

Like the construction workers on all the big infrastructure projects in BC today

@@BCHistory aint the same, I've worked construction in BC since 04, you're not allowed to work hard anymore, or drive men to. Safeties and glorified children with degrees run job sites.

Oh wow!

That's awesome, what month did you do that?

That is impressive. Google Maps expects the average person to take 260 hours or 22 days if they walk 12 hours a day.

@@Gordon_River I got a few rides, otherwise lol it would have taking me a month. Guess I should have worded my post different

it’s definitely a painful drive to get to hope, for me i have to come from White Rock so add 16th ave to that for 50 mins which is very painful

West of Langley it is now three and four lanes per direction these days

I often have to.drive from the Island to the Okanagan and the section from th Tsawwassen ferry terminal to Abbotsford sucks these days. I hate it

@@BCHistory My bad, I meant to say East.

The number of people on the project in 1984 was huge and it cost a lot. The government had tolls to pay for the increased speed it was built at. It is also important to remember the project did not start in 1984 but in 1973. The first years were only survey work but construction did start in about 1980. With enough money and resources any project can be sped up a lot. The repair post November 2021 destruction went astonishingly fast. The highway reopened in less than two months. There was still more work to be done after it reopened but it was available. By the summer of 2022 the vast majority of repairs were.done. I was stunned at how much was completed by July 2022. I was certain Canada's primary highway access to the Pacific coast would be out of action for a year.

Butt fcUK $um newcomer'$ will get boo koo rich doing it eh !

Same story here in Pennsylvania in the US. They closed a busy exit ramp off of I-80. I thought they were in the process of widening the ramp to include a turn lane to prevent traffic backing up onto the high speed traffic. When all the dust settles and the ramp reopened, it was exactly the same as it was before reconstruction started. The point of all this is they took 6 or 7 months to "fix" a section of ramp that was only a few hundred feet long.

Have fun!

worth noting that there were no representatives present from local first nations back then. Now, we have a growing sockeye return in the Penticton channel and Osooyos lake due to the efforts of the OIB and PIB. BC gov needs to get back on track with fish stock rearing and replenish some invaluable river resources. Can’t wait to see the dam come down on the Similkamean also, and fish re introduced !

@@blueman5924 So what would have been done? Except to say no.

😀@@redneckguy2169

This is typical big government bragging with no brains and understanding of the true long term repurcussions and costs. If they would have taken 1/4 of the cost to build the coqihalla and put it into the canyon route such as a tunnel thru jack ass mountain and improved certain other area along the fraser canyon not only would they have a highway with much lower winter maintenance cost due to much reduced snowfall amounts the heavy truck traffic would not be stuck on a hillside such as the "smasher" because of poor maintenance and too steep a grade for reliable winter driving. I know because I drove super b over both of those routes and the canyon in winter usually didn't let you down not the way the coq. could and would because it wasn.t plowed. By law they don't have to plow the grades until there is over an 1 1/2 of snow which is a death kneel for truck traffic and then requiring chaining up and that is not always 100 percent effective on certain truck configerations such as two empty trailer and still not enough traction to climb the smasher with chains.

so true; its a horror show in winter