Hwy. 4 was closed in both directions at Kennedy Hill for more than six hours Wednesday, July 31 due to rocks unexpectedly spilling on the road. It marked the second lengthy unplanned closure this month. (Drive BC)

By Ian Holmes

Hwy closure

‘We have to make do:’ Tofino’s mayor weighs in on lengthy unplanned Hwy 4 closures

Jul 31, 2019 | 9:31 AM

PORT ALBERNI — Motorists travelling to and from Tofino and Ucluelet were forced to deal with frustrating delays for the second unexpected highway closure this month.

Hwy. 4 at Kennedy Lake was closed for more than six hours on Wednesday, July 31 after rock debris fell onto the highway during overnight construction work.

The same stretch of highway was closed for roughly 14 hours earlier in July after scheduled rock blasting unexpectedly sent large boulders onto the highway.

Tofino mayor Josie Osborne called the latest shutdown frustrating but told NanaimoNewsNOW most people understand periodic highway closures are a fact of life on the way to Vancouver Island’s west coast.

“We do the best that we can to work with the ministry and to work with our tourism industry to ensure visitors know what to expect,” Osborne said.

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There is no detour around the construction zone, which serves as the only road connecting the popular Tofino-Ucluelet area to the rest of Vancouver Island.

Osborne applauded the province for timely highway closure updates through its online Drive BC platform.

“This is for long-term gain, but a little short-term pain to get there.”

A Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure statement said it’s unclear exactly how much rock material spilled onto the highway from a routine blast.

“The majority of the rock blasting and traffic stoppages are planned during the night to minimize traffic disruptions, but some traffic stoppages are required for daylight critical activities like rock scaling.”

The Ministry said it understands “the frustration and inconvenience caused by these closures,” given the highway is so heavily relied upon.

The $40 million project features road widening to improve safety along a more than one kilometre stretch of Highway 4 at Kennedy Hill, an area home to several sharp curves.

The two-year project is slated to be complete next summer.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes