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WATCH: Similkameen residents fed up with highway closures

HEDLEY, B.C. — After experiencing three highway closures this year due to rock slides, many people in the Similkameen valley are exasperated.

“They’ve got to do something about it. They’ve got to fix it — and they’ve got to fix it properly,” says Hedley resident Jean Robinson.

The latest slide happened Tuesday on Highway 3 about 20 kilometres east of Hedley, shutting down the road for nearly 24 hours.

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Gregory McDougall was stuck in Penticton because he couldn’t return to his Princeton home.

“I’ve got a receipt in my car for $269 for a two-night stay at a hotel because I couldn’t get home,” he says.

About 40 students attending school in Keremeos, but living in Hedley, were also stranded overnight. 

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Residents say they’d like to see a quick resolution.

The Ministry of Transportation says it plans on building a larger catchment area to corral falling rocks.

It will also undertake work to stabilize the mountain slope.

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