Traffic is still being redirected onto Callan Road just below the highway
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will be continuing efforts to clear the rockslide site on Highway 97 over the weekend.
The slide occurred just north of Summerland on January 31st and has kept that section of the highway closed since February 2nd.
Traffic is still being redirected onto Callan Road just below the highway, leaving minimal delays.
There has been no new slide movement in the last 12 days, which has allowed excavators to safely continue pulling down rock and breaking apart debris.
Crews have removed approximately 13,000 cubic metres of material up to date and, upon re-evaluation, are now estimating an extra 14,000 cubic metres of rock to be hauled off.
This is three times the original amount thought to have fallen.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean we will have to remove all of it. As we continue to further go down, our hope is that we hit some solid, stable rock that we don’t have to remove,” said Steve Sirett, District Manager of Transportation.
According to Sirett, the highway should be reopened at the beginning of next week. One lane will remain closed as a safety precaution to monitor the slope with any upcoming weather changes.
