UPDATE: After indicating that the highway will be opening Tuesday afternoon, DriveBC says that rocks are still coming down from Monday’s slide and that the re-opening has been postponed overnight.
UPDATE: Global Okanagan has been informed by the Ministry of Highways that Highway 3 at the area of Monday’s slide will re-open at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
UPDATE: Global Okanagan is talking with the woman who was involved in Monday’s slide. She was taken to hospital with minor injuries and released. Details to come.
UPDATE: Fortis says power is now restored to all affected customers in Hedley and Keremeos.
UPDATE: A geotech crew will be arriving on scene at 7:30 Tuesday morning to assess the hillside. Once they deem it safe, crews will begin clearing the highway.
KEREMEOS — Highway 3 between Hedley and Keremeos is closed due to a rock slide, and three vehicles were involved.
The slide came down at 12:25 p.m. Monday 18 kilometres west of Keremeos, blocking all traffic.
Three vehicles were involved in the slide and one woman was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The slide area was reportedly 150 metres wide.
RCMP say some of the boulders are the size of a pick-up truck.
The slide also knocked out a main transmission line, knocking out power to about 1,500 FortisBC customers. Roughly 500 were still without power at 1 p.m.
The slide is estimated to be roughly 150 metres wide.
There’s no indication from DriveBC on when the highway will re-open but motorists are advised to use alternate routes while the boulders are cleared.
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