Hwy 97 in northern B.C. reopens after closure due to road incident - Action News
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British Columbia

Hwy 97 in northern B.C. reopens after closure due to road incident

A northern B.C. highway has reopened after being closed earlier Wednesday due to a road incident, six months after two deadly collisions on the route.

Highway was the site of 2 fatal car crashes almost 6 months ago

A car is pictured running on a wet road, with a power pole on the pavement.
Rain and potholes are pictured in Vancouver in January 2020. Police did not say whether weather conditions were a factor in the northern B.C. incident, although weather data suggests there were showers with a risk of thunderstorm in the area on Wednesday afternoon. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

A northern B.C. highway has reopened after being closed earlier Wednesday due to a road incident, six months after two deadly collisions on the route.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, RCMP said they closed Highway 97 in both directions and advised drivers to avoid the highway while officers investigated the scene.

Police said they received reports of an incident involving two cars at 1:22 p.m. PT Wednesdaynear Bear Lake, which is about 74 kilometres north of Prince George, but did not provide any information on the nature of the incident.


Police did not say whether there were any injuries. Cpl. Jennifer Cooper with the Prince George RCMP said the investigation would likely require an "extended period of time."

As of 6:15 p.m., Wednesday, DriveBCsaid that the highway had reopened.

2 deadly crashes on Hwy 97 last November

The highway was the site of two fatal car crashes almost six months ago.

On Nov. 6, 2022, a fatal head-on collision occurred on Highway 97 near Groundbirch, 49 kilometres west of Dawson Creek, close to the Alberta border.

One of the drivers died on the scene, while the other was sent to hospital with minor injuries. The highway was closed for almost seven hours afterwards.

A day later, another fatal collision happened on Highway 97 near Chetwynd about 205 kilometres north of Prince George where a pickup truck and a car collided, killing the car's two passengers, both women. The driver of the pickup truck appeared to be uninjured.

According to weather data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, northern B.C. experienceda few showers with a risk of thunderstorms onWednesday afternoon.

RCMP did notsay whether weather and road conditions were a factor in the incident on Wednesday.

With files from Winston Szeto