The ministry of transportation expects a phased re-opening of Hwy. 4 will take place during the weekend of June 24/25. (BC Government)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

highway update

Phased re-opening for Hwy 4 expected for June 24/25 weekend

Jun 13, 2023 | 12:47 PM

NANAIMO — Due to ongoing safety concerns, Highway 4 at Cameron Lake is expected to remain closed for several more days.

The transportation ministry revealed it expects single-lane alternating traffic to be open as early as the weekend of June 24/25.

“The ministry urges drivers to use patience since traffic queues are expected to be extensive during this time. The ministry will continue to monitor the state of recovery before moving toward on a full reopening expected in mid-July. Until the highway is fully open, the detour will remain available,” a statement from the ministry outlined.

Janelle Staite, the ministry’s regional deputy director of highway services, said while the pavement conditions of the 1.5 kilometres of highway adjacent to Cameron Lake are intact, roadside barriers have been damaged as a result of falling trees and debris.

She said small and medium-sized rocks continue falling on the closed roadway.

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“The slope itself remains intact, however the debris on the slope has been loosened as a result of the wildfire and that is the piece that we are concerned about from a technical perspective,” Staite said.

She noted BC Wildfire Service personnel began danger tree assessments on Monday, June 12 and that an undetermined number of trees need to be removed.

Staite said they are waiting for clearance from the BC Wildfire Service to remove trees when it’s safe to do so.

“We’ve seen nearly two dozen trees fall unexpectedly onto Hwy. 4, some of these trees have been a metre in diameter — very, very large trees coming down in an unpredictable manner.”

Staite expanded on how the 90-kilometre-long logging road detour route linking Port Alberni and Lake Cowichan is operating during the Hwy. 4 closure.

She said between 500 and 1,000 daily motorists are using the route, primarily during the day, which includes high volumes of commercial vehicles delivering essential goods to Port Alberni and smaller communities to the west.

Several messaging boards and portable washrooms are established on the route comprised of forest and private industrial roads, Staite noted.

More than 30 ministry staff and contractors are overseeing the detour route to help maintain the road, which includes graders and water trucks to suppress dust.

“This is a huge deployment of resources to make sure that this detour route stays open and operates effectively for essential goods and movement.”

The Hwy. 4 detour route includes winding sections and 13 single-lane bridges.

Meantime, progress is reported by the BC Wildfire Service in battling the Cameron Bluffs blaze.

The 254-hectare fire is considered held as of Tuesday, June 13 after previously being categorized as out of control.

Fire information officer Shaelee Stearns said nearly 100 firefighters and four helicopters are assigned to the fire.

“At this stage this wildfire is not likely to spread beyond its predetermined boundary under the prevailing conditions that we’re expecting to see…Crews will continue to establish control lines and assess and fall danger trees where accessible.”

Most of the Cameron Bluffs fire is burning in “steep, inaccessible and dangerous terrain,” Stearns said.

While progress is being reported to combat the Cameron Bluffs fire, transportation challenges persist. (BC Government)

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