Single lane opening at rock slide site

Traffic is once again flowing on Highway 97 north of Summerland, but the going will be slow.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said a single, alternating lane opened as of 6 p.m. Monday, September 11.

That partial reopening is several days ahead of schedule.

The highway was closed between Summerland and Peachland on August 28 after a significant rockslide brought roughly 3,000 cubic kilograms of debris down on the highway.

Over the past two weeks, a large lock-block wall was built to protect the highway from any more falling rocks, and the province said work was ongoing to construct a berm between the wall and the bottom of the slope.

The province stated the berm has already “significantly slowed movement of the material at the site” which allowed for the area to be considered safe enough to reopen the furthest lane of the highway for alternating traffic.

Drivers on Highway 97 should expect delays of up to 30 minutes when passing through the slide zone, and the province asks people to be cautious, obey speed limits, and follow all directions of traffic-control personnel.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure noted the forest service road detour routes would remain available and maintained.

The highway may be closed again if deemed unsafe, and the province said the highway would be at greater likelihood of closure should heavy rainfall occur.

There remains no firm timeline on when the highway would fully re-open to traffic in both directions.