Correction: a previous version of this story misstated the length of the recommended detour. Using the detour via Highway 97C and Highway 5A it would take over three hours to get from Kelowna to Penticton not six as previously stated.
By midday on Sunday, Highway 97 in British Columbia’s Okanagan region had been closed in both directions for more than 24 hours due to rockslides.
There is no word on when the road, which serves as the main artery connecting Kelowna to the south Okanagan, might reopen.
British Columbia’s transportation ministry said it is working to get the road open as soon as it is safe, however there is no estimate for a reopening time as the slide site continues to move.
The lengthy closure of the major Okanagan highway is causing significant headaches for drivers, with some forced to cancel plans and others getting stranded in failed attempts to find a shorter route around the closure.
However, provincial transportation officials said late Sunday afternoon that an alternate route had been set up for light vehicles.
Vehicles weighing less than five tons will be able to use the 201 Forest Service Road on the east side of Okanagan Lake.
“This is accessed off Highway 33 near McCollough Road near Kelowna, and via Warren Avenue/Carmi Avenue in Penticton,” the Transportation Ministry said in a traffic advisory, released late Sunday afternoon.
“Drivers using this route can expect up to 90 minutes of additional travel time compared to normal travel time between Summerland and Peachland on Highway 97.”
Police are urging drivers to use only approved alternative routes after several drivers became stranded trying to find their own detours on Saturday.
Drive BC had been suggesting drivers take the Okanagan Connector, Highway 97C, to Highway 5A and then turn onto Highway 3 at Princeton and take Highway 3A.
With that suggested detour, motorists must drive around 274 kilometres over more than three hours to get from Kelowna to Penticton. When Highway 97 is open, it typically takes less than an hour to drive the 63 kilometres between the two cities.
Commercial vehicles and vehicles weighing more than five tons will still need to take the highway detour via Highway 97C and Highway 5A.
Commuter Steve Sarkany said he and his girlfriend have been cut off from work by the highway closure.
Sarkany said the couple is considering parking their vehicles on each side of the closure and walking between the two sides or staying with friends in Summerland until the closure ends.
However, his girlfriend is also scheduled to go into surgery this week, and the prospect of not being home while she recovers is also concerning for the couple.
“This is going to create a lot of headaches for a lot of people,” Sarkany said.
He is hoping a temporary road or possibly ferry service can be put in place until the highway can be reopened.
Mike Lorimer the executive director of highways for the Southern Interior suggested commuters should follow Drive BC for updates.
“I think it would be prudent for the commuters to be thinking of options for tomorrow whether they are able to work from home, they are able to make some other arrangements,” Lorimer said.
“Until we have that full assessment done we are not really in a position to say how long it is going to be.”
The rockslides on that stretch of Highway 97 started on Thursday night, when the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said 400 cubic metres of large rock and debris came down onto the highway between Summerland and Peachland, partially blocking the road.
Then, Saturday morning, two more rockslides occurred.
A rockslide partially covered the highway near Summerland at 5:30 a.m. The highway was still open to traffic, with one lane operating in each direction.
But two hours later, at 7:45 a.m., a second slide occurred, this time blocking all four lanes and completely closing the highway.
Luckily, right before the second slide occurred, single-lane alternating traffic had been stopped to let crew vehicles pass through.
The province said they had hoped to have the road reopened by Sunday morning, but maintenance crews had to stop work on clearing the road overnight due to “movement” in slide the area.
“People’s safety is our top priority, and the road will remain closed until it is safe for the travelling public,” a Transportation Ministry spokesperson said in an email to Global News.
—With files from Jules Knox and Doyle Potenteau
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