It will be a weekend without any blasting activities in the South Okanagan.
The Ministry of Transportation has announced that there will be no blasting closures from Thursday through Monday along Highway 97 near Summerland.
The highway area has been having brief closures for rock blasting since part of it was buried by a rockslide last August.
The ministry stated, “The area undergoing slope stabilization work will stay open for traffic.”
To support increased holiday travel in that area, there will be no scheduled closures from Thursday, March 28, to Monday, April 1.”
Since the initial slide, rock blasting and temporary road closures have been happening between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park to stabilize the slope.
The ministry reported that over 40,000 cubic metres of material have been removed from the slope, and up to 60,000 cubic metres may be removed once the work is completed.
The ministry said, “The work will soon move to a stabilization phase, which will involve the installation of rock-bolting.”
The ministry added, “This will lead to fewer necessary blasts in the spring. Closure times are likely to decrease, with fewer closures lasting more than 20 minutes.”
However, longer closures will be scheduled this spring, with advance warnings provided to avoid potential travel disruptions.
As always, drivers are urged to be cautious and adhere to speed limits in the construction area.
More details about the rockslide area can be found online.
