B.C. highway set to reopen after lengthy closure
KELOWNA, B.C. — After nearly three weeks of being shutdown, Highway 97 in the Okanagan is set to reopen tomorrow.
B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon recently announced the highway will resume traffic flow at 5 a.m. on Nov. 12.
Highway 97 just north of Summerland has been closed since Oct. 24, due to the discovery of a large fissure on a rock slope above the highway.
“I’d like to thank the public for their patience, especially residents and businesses in communities on both sides of the closure,” stated Falcon. “Several other agencies such as the Ministry of Forests and Range and BC Transit stepped forward, alongside people in my ministry, to help out in an extremely challenging situation, and I thank them for their contributions.”
Removal of unstable material has reached the point where the slope is secure and traffic can resume. Approximately 34,000 cubic metres of rock has been blasted from the site.
Regular construction closures for the Highway 97-Bentley Road project will resume Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.