Police in British Columbia are reminding drivers to watch their speeds on the Hope to Merritt section of the Coquihalla this Family Day Long weekend.

Sgt. Brian O’Callaghan with the BC Highway Patrol says when that stretch of highway reopened in January, the speed limit was reduced to 100 km/hr given the potential for road closures linked to crashes and damage caused by the floods in November.

“The province obviously wants to try and keep the highway open and they feel because of the extreme weather that having the speed reduced makes more sense,” he told NL News.

“Also when you have bottleneck areas such as single lane, you’re going to have people going at high rates of speed conceivably funnelling into a single lane of traffic and where you end up with a multiple rear end collisions. And especially with the Coq being what it is, there are not a lot of services out there in the way of ambulatory care or tow trucks.”

O’Callaghan says officers have been and will continue to patrol the highway, adding that drivers caught doing more than 40 km/h over posted speed limit, may face steep fines and have their vehicles impounded.

“We want to remind all drivers, including those from out-of-province, to check their speedometers as they travel through BC during the upcoming Family Day weekend. and beyond,” O’Callaghan added. “Clearly posted speed limits, including those through single-lane construction zones, are in effect and will be enforced.”

He also tells NL News that there will be a police presence on Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon as that stretch of highway is also still undergoing repairs between Boston Bar and Spences Bridge.

“There are a number of reduced speed zones there as well due to the ongoing repairs,” O’Callaghan said, noting the minimum fine for people speeding in a construction zone is $196.