By David Wiwchar

Highway 4 issues discussed at committee

Aug 1, 2024 | 9:12 AM

Forestry crews will be heading into the area around Angel Rock this fall, to further clean-up the fire ravaged area.

Michael Pearson, Vancouver Island District Director for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told the ACRD Transportation Advisory Committee that original efforts to secure the hillside have proven successful.

“We’re doing danger tree assessments at least twice a year so if and when we need to take down trees, we’re trying to be proactive so we don’t get unplanned closures,” he said. “We haven’t seen a lot of rock, we haven’t seen any issues, the work that we did to get through last summer has really paid off and worked.”

Although Provincial highway managers came to Port Alberni to talk about clean-up efforts around Angel Rock, local leaders wanted to talk about Cathedral Grove.

Transportation Advisory Committee member John McNabb says he’s amazed no one has been seriously injured this summer with cars, trucks, trailers and RV’s parking on the thin highway shoulder.

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Michael Pearson, Vancouver Island District Director for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said Cathedral Grove is not the priority it once was as the provincial focus remains on safety around Angel Rock.

In Cathedral Grove itself we’re still aware of the issues are going in the ministry has done a lot of work proposing solutions it’s just been kind of put on the side for now for variety reasons. It’s it’s a tricky problem that’s goes beyond south into political things

Pearson said Ministry contractors are intensely monitoring the burned out area around Angel Rock and will begin studying future emergency routes connecting the Alberni Valley to Nanaimo, Cumberland, Cowichan or Qualicum.

(Photo – a map showing possible emergency routes out of the Alberni Valley)