It’s been almost a year since a massive rockslide came down on Highway 97 near Summerland, and work is still ongoing to clean up the debris.
Officials are addressing the impact that the work is having on local communities.
“I think there’s a lot of frustration with the travelling public you know, there’s a lot of traffic up and down the valley,” said Summerland’s Mayor Doug Holmes.
“We rely on this highway it’s our lifeblood here and there’s a lot of road rage out there, a lot of anger. With the summer season here, tourists coming, it’s just going to get worse.”
Since the original rock fall, the highway has been partially open with two lanes, one in each direction.
Traffic in the area has been slow moving and there are daily intermittent closures to allow crews to work as well as longer temporary closures for blasting.
“I know that they tried to do the blasting during non-peak hours,” said Holmes. “But the reality is that in summertime, there are no peak hours. It’s just busy all the time every day.”
The Mayor of Summerland believes that if the work continues during Okanagan’s peak season it could have a significant impact on tourism.
“If it’s going to take many more months to complete, why don’t they just take a break over the summer and have it two lanes going around the slide? And then open it to four lanes after that and of the slide site. Then get back to work in September,” said Holmes. “Just give people a break for the summer. Let traffic through during our busiest time, so local businesses don’t suffer so we can actually have a tourist season for our change.”
In a statement to Global News, the Summerland Chamber executive director Sally Pierce, echoed the same concerns.
“I think the rockslide has had a definite impact on travel to and from the South Okanagan as people make alternative choices to avoid being delayed,” said Pierce. “At the moment, the delays are intermittent as work is carried out, so they are not covered by DriveBC. The most consistent message that I am hearing is the need for a permanent alternative route.”
Highway 97 is a major route connecting the South Okanagan to the rest of the Valley.
Travelers have limited options to get around when the highway closes, either on a neighbouring highway or on an unpaved forest service road.
“It’s very difficult to work being that close to the highway and I have to give accolades to the workers and also the industry trying to do their best to get this done however we need to get this road open we’re still in the delays on it,” said Penticton MLA Dan Ashton.
“It is an issue that we will have to address. As I have said before, this is the only place in the Okanagan that doesn’t have the opportunity for an alternate route into the valley. And I would hope that the ministry keeps that into consideration for the future, especially with the growth of the Okanagan.”
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told Global News that a project update is expected to be released on Thursday.
However, there is no word yet as to whether that update will include a timeline as to when the highway will fully reopen.
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