The provincial government has extended its state of emergency related to flood recovery through to Dec. 28.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth also announced Monday that gas rationing in southwest B.C. will come to an end on Tuesday, Dec. 14 (end of day). The restrictions limited the purchase of fuel to 30 litres have been in place since Nov. 19, but are no longer needed after the restart of the Trans-Mountain pipeline.
"While we're making significant progress in our recovery, there is still a lot of work to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes," said Farnworth in a statement.
"My continued thanks go out to all British Columbians for their patience and compliance during these challenging times."
The orders restricting non-essential travel on highways 3 and 99 are staying in place as a part of the state of emergency. The government plans to open Highway 3 to recreational travel once the Coquihalla reopens in early January.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Monday it is possible the Coquihalla could open even sooner, prior to the end of the year, and a full update would be provided Wednesday.
