A portion of Highway 97 near Summerland, B.C., was closed once again on Thursday, however this time it was planned.
The stretch of highway has undergone two temporary closures since May and is down to single-lane alternating traffic, due to two back-to-back slides.
“There’s always concerned when we have those bluffs up the road above the highway,” said District of Summerland Works and Infrastructure director Joe Mitchell.
“The ministry is, I’m sure, reviewing it and ensuring that it’s safe for us to travel.”
Crews shut down the highway in both directions for what was supposed to be an hour of work, as blasting crews attempted to bring down more rocks and soil from the offending bluff.
However, the highway reopened about 20 minutes later.
“Last month’s geotechnical assessments determined there were approximately 4,000 cubic metres of unstable material on the slope above the highway needing to be safely brought down,” said the Ministry of Transportation in a statement.
The ministry says crews will slowly work to bring down that material, but blasting is needed for the larger pieces.
The entire project is expected to be finished in mid-July, however the ministry is hoping to have the highway back to two lanes of traffic by the end of next week.
In the meantime, the ministry says drivers can expect 20-minute delays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., every day.
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