A sinkhole has forced the closure of a section of Highway 16 west of Edmonton.
The westbound lanes of Highway 16 between Range Road 73 and Highway 22, east of Entwistle, were shut down on Saturday. Traffic has been diverted to the eastbound lanes of Highway 16, leaving one lane of traffic in each direction.
Drivers are being asked to slow down to 50 kilometres per hour through the affected stretch of highway. Motorists should expect delays of about 30 minutes, according to Alberta 511.
“There’s a couple of culverts that have failed and have caused water to bypass the culverts and undermine the roadway surface,” said Dean Litke with Alberta Transportation.
Litke added this type of situation is not that common.
“It does happen from time to time, certainly, as structures age. These types of things do happen,” he said.
Southbound Highway 22 to Drayton Valley is not accessible from westbound Highway 16. A detour has been set up on secondary Highway 759.
No wide loads are being allowed through the bridge between Evansburg and Entwistle.
It’s not known exactly how long the closure will be in place.
“We are in the process of hiring a contractor to come out and make the repairs,” Litke said on Monday. “We are hoping to have them mobilized and on scene by today. We are anticipating 10 to 15 days to complete the repairs.”
Entwistle is located about 100 kilometres west of Edmonton.
More to come…
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