B.C. highway to reopen Wednesday after 19-day closure due to unstable hillside
KELOWNA, B.C. — The main highway between Kelowna and Penticton will reopen Wednesday morning after blasting and other work stabilizes the hillside above the route.
Highway 97 was closed just north of Summerland on Oct. 24 after crews working on a widening project noticed a crack in the slope overlooking the road.
Blasting since then, including major explosions set off this weekend, brought down about 34,000 cubic metres of rock, some of which was placed at the foot of the hillside to stabilize the earth above.
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon says enough material has now been removed to make the slope safe for traffic, and the road will reopen at 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
The closure has forced travellers to make lengthy detours over secondary and logging roads, or use a free water taxi service provided by the provincial government.
It was the second major highway closure in B.C. in the last three months, after a rock slide blocked the road between Vancouver and Whistler for four days in late July.
