Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses
The faster route cut travel times to one-third, but local operators say reduced traffic still hurts canyon stops and tourism businesses.
- Forty years after the Coquihala Highway first opened, the route remains a vital connection for the Lower Mainland despite significant long-term economic consequences for businesses in the Fraser Canyon.
- Emil Anderson Construction faced heavy snowfall during the project; a 45-minute delay during Premier Bill Bennett's 1985 ceremonial blast tour resulted from a damaged wire short-circuiting the detonator.
- Traffic through the canyon dropped by half immediately upon the 1986 opening, prompting tour operators to cancel contracts and redirect clients to Kamloops or Vancouver one hour sooner instead.
- Operating until 2008, toll booths charged $5 per motorcycle, $10 per vehicle, and up to $50 for trucks, providing stable, high-paying jobs for residents during their operation.
- Canyon Shell owner Randy Young notes the 'canyon has come back a bit' in recent years, though he estimates 60 per cent of businesses remain closed, yet he believes the highway is essential.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses - Creston Valley Advance
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses - Grand Forks Gazette
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses - Northern Sentinel
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
Terrace Standard
Coquihalla Highway 40 Years later: From wild horses to withering businesses
It’s been 40 years since the first vehicles drove down the newly opened Coquihalla Highway, but Canyon Shell owner Randy Young still remembers what it looked like before. Back in the ’80s, Young transported all kinds of goods for his dad’s company, Young’s Transfer, which was one of many B.C. companies involved in the creation of the Coquihalla Highway. “We delivered a lot of stuff up to the Coquihalla as it was being built,” said Young. “Back t…
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