Traffic controllers have opened up Hwy. 19 at Superior Rd. to two-way traffic after a sinkhole shut the roadway down for just over two days. The situation on Thursday and Friday (shown here) saw vehicles rerouted down Lantzville Rd. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

TRAFFIC FLOWING

Hwy. 19 re-opens north of Nanaimo, permanent fix potentially months away

Nov 20, 2021 | 5:14 PM

NANAIMO — Traffic is flowing again on Hwy. 19, albeit at a slower than normal rate.

Crews opened up the road to two-way traffic for the first time since a sinkhole closed main artery between Nanaimo and Parksville on Thursday, Nov. 18.

Rob Fleming, minister of transportation, said during a briefing on Saturday, Nov. 20, with traffic flowing in the evening, attention turns to more long-term fixes.

“Similar to the Malahat, permanent repairs will likely take upwards of months and further closures will be needed to get significant work periods to remediate and fix that.”

Fleming said future closures would be communicated to the public.

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Drive BC posted an update on Hwy. 19 just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20 advising the road was cleared. (Drive BC)

In order to re-establish two-way traffic on the Malahat highway after its closure Monday, Nov. 15, crews shut the roadway down for 12 hours overnight for multiple days.

The sinkhole event caused considerable delays both on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19 with thousands of vehicles stuck between Nanaimo and Parksville.

Traffic backlogs on Friday afternoon extended bumper-to-bumper from the Hwy. 19 and Lantzville Rd. intersection, to Parksville, a nearly 13 kilometre stretch.

As NanaimoNewsNOW first reported on Friday, the traffic jam caused some tense moments for one couple, who had their baby delivered in the back of an ambulance just south of Parksville.

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