Temporary closure of Highway 97 north of Summerland slated for Tuesday

Highway 97 north of Summerland will be temporarily closed in both directions on Tuesday.

The planned closure will run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. near the site of a rockslide that took place on Aug. 28 between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, in which roughly 3,000 cubic metres of rock and debris came tumbling down onto Highway 97.

During the closure, crews will be carrying out rock blasting work. Once the blasting is done and safety assessments are made, the highway will reopen to two lanes of traffic.

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On Monday, Oct. 30, the stretch of highway was also closed for two hours, to allow crews to remove roughly 950 cubic metres of debris from the site.

The Ministry of Transportation says additional blasting will be carried out during the month of November.

“After the slide mass is removed, stabilization operations, which will include the installation of bolts and rock anchors, will be carried out throughout the winter,” the ministry said.