Rock debris removal will again shut down traffic on Hwy. 4 at Cameron Lake on Thursday, Aug. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Transportation BC)
rock scaling

Second closure of Hwy. 4 at Cameron Lake planned for Thursday

Aug 23, 2023 | 10:13 AM

PARKSVILLE — The second of two planned full-day closures is coming to a stretch of Hwy. 4.

A section of the highway at Cameron Lake will close again from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24 to allow crews to continue rock scaling work and remove large rock boulders from the site.

The work being undertaken can only take place during the day and is a “complex and labour-intensive process, requiring work on cliff faces to safely remove dangerous rock material” according to the province.

It’s the final scheduled, lengthy closure planned before the highway is set to re-open by month’s end.

A wildfire in the bluffs above the highway in early June sent rock and other debris onto the highway, closing it through early June.

It re-opened mid-month to single-lane alternating traffic.

A standard schedule of daytime closures for two and a half hours in the morning, and three and a half hours in the afternoon has been in place for several weeks to allow windows for crews to work.

Over 200 dangerous trees and 600 tonnes of rock debris have been removed from the roughly 1.2-kilometre-long work zone.

Travellers needing to make connections between the Island’s east coast and Port Alberni, Tofino or Ucluelet on Thursday can still take the Lake Cowichan detour, which adds roughly four hours of travel time.

More information on the closure, as well as the detour is available on the DriveBC website.

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