After more than a year of waiting, drivers along Highway 97 near Summerland, B.C., will soon see work begin on a long-term fix to a stretch of road hit by a rockslide in 2023.
“It’s about time, people have been waiting a long time for this,” said Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes.
The rockslide forced the closure of the section between Callan and North Beach roads, reducing the highway to two lanes and causing repeated delays and detours for commuters and tourists alike.
According to Steve Sirett, the Southern Interior Executive Director with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, crews were able to temporarily stabilize the slope late last year.
“Since the slide occurred, a significant amount of work was done to get to a point where we were temporarily stabilized,” Sirett said. “Essentially, we had the slide in a state where we were comfortable it wasn’t high risk.”
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That temporary stabilization wrapped up last November, and starting Monday, construction will begin on a permanent fix to restore four-lane traffic through the area.
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“What that’s going to look like is drilling in some more anchors we’ve already put in,” Sirett explained. “There’s going to be a need for some small, intermittent blasting.”
During construction, the ministry says highway closures will be limited to no more than two per day, each lasting roughly 20 minutes.
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“Our goal is to remove some of the cones, raise speed limits a bit, and make traffic move a little more efficiently,” Sirett added.
While crews focus on restoring Highway 97, local leaders continue to call for a second crossing to provide another evacuation or travel route in case of emergencies.
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“It’s not unrealistic to think you could have a slide on one side of the community and a wildfire on the other, and no way out,” Holmes said. “That’s the worst-case scenario.”
He said the idea of connecting Summerland with Peachland through back route Forest Service Road 201 is gaining support from the city’s mayor.
“FSR 201 has been talked about a lot on the other side of the lake,” Holmes said. “The mayor of Peachland and I have been talking to the government about connecting a back route between our two communities.”
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But for now, the ministry’s focus remains on improving and maintaining the existing Highway 97 corridor.
“There are several highway routes that do allow you to get around when closures occur,” Sirett said. “And if you take a step back, they’re quite infrequent in the grand scheme of things.”
As work gets underway, drivers are reminded to check DriveBC for the latest traffic updates and possible delays.
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