UPDATE: Highway 99 north of Lillooet closed indefinitely due to slide activity

UPDATE: The highway remains closed. Next update is not expected until Wednesday, Oct.5. 

Slide activity north of Lillooet has closed Highway 99 indefinitely.

Drive BC says the stretch of highway from Fountain Valley Road through to Pavilion-Clinton Road will remain closed until further notice.

The Ministry of Transportation says there is pronounced slide activity at the 10 Mile Slide site, located approximately 17 kilometers east of Lillooet on Highway 99. The 10 Mile Slide is part of an ancient earth flow that has been active for decades.

MAP: The site of the closure on Highway 99

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Ministry officials and geotechnical engineers are monitoring the area. The highway was closed in both directions Wednesday morning out of an abundance of caution as they conduct assessments.

Detours are available via Highway 1 or Highway 12.

Drive BC says they won’t be providing an update on the situation until Monday morning.

In a video posted by the Chief of the Xaxli’p First Nation Darrell Bob on his Facebook page, he says the community is deeply concerned about the situation.

“Since mid-90s the Xaxli’p people have been worried about the 10 Mile Slide. It has slowly deteriorated through the years to a point of almost no return,” he said.

Local residents tell Global News the closure is a major disruption for the community.

Buses with school children have to detour around the closure taking an extra hour to do so and some people can’t make it to work.

Taylor Ferron, who lives in the area, says it’s not the first time Highway 99 has been shut down.

“But this is the worst it has been,” said Ferron. “It also puts a delay on ambulance and emergency services. We can only fly and helicopter patients during the day. It is a huge safety issue.”

The ministry says they are aware that the Xaxli’p First Nation has declared a local state of emergency to deal with the situation.

They say they are working towards a solution to ensure the safe passage of people and goods at the “highly complex” 10 Mile Slide.

“We are working closely with Xaxli’p, the local First Nation community, and the ministry’s staff and geotechnical consultant for the project, to provide recommendations and develop a long-term solution to help stabilize the slide,” the ministry said in an email.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are working closely with Xaxli'p, the local First Nation community, and the ministry's staff and geotechnical consultant for the project, to provide recommendations and develop a long-term solution to help stabilize the slide," the ministry said in an email.

The highway will be opened as soon as it is safe to do so, but it may take several days for the activity to stabilize.