UPDATE:
The provincial government is hopeful, but not 100 per cent sure, Highway 97 in the Okanagan will be reopened to traffic on Wednesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation announced that the heavily travelled route may be partially cleared of the rockslide that swept across all four lanes near Summerland on Saturday morning.
However, that’s may be cleared – not will be cleared.
Paula Cousins, deputy regional director of the Southern Interior for the ministry, said the slide area is complex and is still showing signs of activity. She said a significant amount of rock and soil material is hung up in the upper section of the slide zone and needs to be released or stabilized before any road clearing takes place.
Cousins said hopefully by Wednesday morning blasting will take place above the slide to stabilize that area, but it’s unsure if the blasting will work.
The goal is to “establish intermittent openings throughout the slide zone” by Wednesday afternoon, but that goal is unsure due to several variables.
As such, the ministry says its confidence level for a Wednesday opening is 50 per cent.
Cousins said the best-case scenario is an intermittent opening for Wednesday afternoon. A worst-case scenario would be later in the week.
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The intermittent opening is described as the northbound lane being opened for a certain amount of time to let traffic through. No schedule as to when or how much traffic would flow through that opening has been set.
The highway was partially blocked on Jan. 31, when 400 cubic metres fell on the highway. The second slide took place on Feb. 2, bringing down approximately 4,000 cubic metres.
The ministry noted that in the fall of 2008, Highway 97 just north of Summerland was closed after a large fissure was found on a rock slope above the highway. The closure lasted 19 days, from Oct. 24 to Nov. 12. Approximately 34,000 cubic metres of rock and unstable material was blasted and removed from the site to secure the slope and make it safe for traffic to resume.
The ministry added that there is nothing unique about the geology along that stretch of Highway 97 and that rockslides of this volume do not occur often. The ministry said this rockslide occurred along a natural joint deep in the slope and was likely triggered by freeze/thaw conditions.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Traffic along Highway 97 in the Okanagan could be flowing again by tomorrow, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation announced on Tuesday.
The highway has been closed since a rockslide blocked all four lanes north of Summerland on Saturday morning. Since then, traffic between Kelowna and Penticton has been forced to detour around the slide, which has been estimated to be between 4,000 and 6,000 cubic metres.
WATCH BELOW: Highway 97 rockslide near Summerland, B.C.
“While we are hoping to have the road reopened to traffic tomorrow afternoon, this depends on the progress that is made today,” the ministry said on Tuesday. “Safety is our top priority, and we will have the route restored as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The blasting that took place at the site yesterday went well, as approximately 100 cubic metres of material was brought down, resulting in improved access at the site. Now that the hill is more accessible, we have been able to increase the number of rock scalers from seven up to 10.”
Workers moved further up the slope on Tuesday morning in an effort to clear more debris and prepare for further blasting in the area, according to the ministry, which added that two excavators and a rock hammer are also part of the clearance efforts, along with large rock trucks operated by Argo, a maintenance contractor for the ministry.
“More drilling and blasting is taking place throughout the day today, as large boulders and rock fragments are being drilled and blasted. Once this debris is removed, geotechnical engineers will reassess the slope to determine what other steps need to be taken,” the ministry continued.
“We understand the impact to local residents and business and appreciate people’s patience while ministry staff work to create stability for travel along this section of Highway 97.”
For detours, the ministry is recommending two routes.
An alternate route for light vehicles weighing five tons or less is the 201 Forest Service Road, which is accessed off Highway 33 near McCulloch Road in Kelowna and via Warren Avenue/Carmi Avenue in Penticton.
Signage and traffic control have been installed at both locations to direct travellers. The ministry says drivers using this route can expect a significant increase in travel time compared to normal travel on Highway 97 between Peachland and Summerland. The speed limit along the 201 Forest Service Road is 50 km/h.
Larger vehicles and commercial trucks must detour via Highway 97C, Highway 5A and Highway 3 to Highway 3A.
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