Highway 97 reopening to two lanes at rock slide site

Traffic will once again be flowing smoothly on Highway 97 in the Central Okanagan.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced that, as of noon Friday, Sept. 22, two lanes of Highway 97, one in each direction, would be open for traffic at the site of the rock slide between Peachland and Summerland.

The rock slide occurred on August 28, forcing the closure of the highway.

Crews built a lock-block wall to protect the highway from more falling rocks, which allowed for a single, alternating lane to open on Sept. 11 as work continued to stabilize the hillside.

The Ministry of Transportation said a 150 metre berm between the wall and the slope has now been built to temporarily address slope movement, allowing another lane to open.

The province stated construction of permanent stabilization measures will continue and that geotechnical engineers are still monitoring the slide site for changes in ground conditions.

It was noted that the road could be closed again should conditions change and the site is deemed unsafe again.

People driving on Highway 97 are advised to check DriveBC for road conditions.