Denny Zomar, owner of the family business Alberni Paving and Contracting, is watching money go out but none come in now that he can’t work because a section of Highway 4 is closed due to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.
That’s why Zomar is “all for another route” into Port Alberni.
Asphalt plant operators who normally travel from Nanaimo are not coming to Port Alberni because of concerns about the alternate gravel route and the hours it takes to drive it, he said. “So we are suffering.”
Zomar said that because he is not supplied with asphalt, “the west coast is not getting asphalt, the municipalities aren’t getting asphalt. Everything has kind of been put on hold.” The company continues to pay its staff, who have no work to do. “You don’t want to lose them, right?”
This time of year is normally the company’s “go time,” he said. “We’ve got lots of work — we have jobs that are prepped with gravel and ready to be paved and then all of a sudden everything got shut down.”
The province has said the highway, which has been pummelled with debris such as trees and rocks from the wildfire on the slopes above, could reopen to one-way alternating traffic by the weekend of June 24 and be fully open in mid-July.
Zomar would like to see a permanent alternate route in case of future closures, one that’s shorter and safer than the current detour via Lake Cowichan. Recent improvements carried out on the unpaved forest service route indicate it was not properly maintained in the first place, he said.
The closing of a seven-kilometre section of Highway 4 — a critical link from the east side of the Island to Port Alberni, First Nations communities, Ucluelet and Tofino — has raised questions about whether a permanent alternative route is needed.
“Certainly we will look, after Highway 4 has reopened, in the coming weeks and months about that kind of access and secondary routes,” Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said at a news conference this week.
While the Highway 4 section is closed, commercial vehicles hauling in fuel, groceries and livestock supplies are using an alternate route that’s recommended for essential use only.
Noting that the province has invested “significant dollars” on Highway 4 upgrades because of longtime safety issues, Fleming said the idea of an alternate route — where it should be and how it could be built — will be looked at “when we get through this situation.”
Tofino Mayor Dan Law praised the “phenomenal” efforts of the province and crews battling the Cameron Bluffs fire and maintaining the alternate route. But the impact of the highway’s closure on tourism-dependent Tofino has been “significant, if not catastrophic,” Law said.
“All of our tourism visitation-focused businesses are being dramatically affected.”
He noted that the closure follows pandemic shutdowns and traffic delays for Highway 4 for Kennedy Hill-area road works over a period of years. “This is really tough,” he said. “Staff are being laid off and the longer the closure lasts, the more difficult it will be for businesses.”
Messages welcoming visitors back to the coast will be critical in the aftermath of the fire, he said.
Law said he wants the province to understand what is at stake for Tofino and Ucluelet. If limited access is ongoing, it will cripple the west coast, he said. “We do need them to hear that.”
Tofino and Ucluelet economies are likely losing millions of dollars daily, he said — arguing that’s a good economic incentive to maintain an alternate route.
“Here’s hoping that at least one of those routes is carefully looked at and the cost of keeping it open and safe to drive for more than the occasional back route traveller.”
Chris Le Fevre, owner of Cox Bay Beach Resort, Middle Beach Lodge and Bella Pacifica Campground in Tofino, said it’s premature to talk about a permanent alternate route.
He said he has driven the forest service route many times, which adds adventure and a “small dimension of a nuisance” to those pressed for time in their travels.
While resorts are going through a dramatic slowdown, as are other businesses, Le Fevre said west coast communities are “very, very fortunate” that they’re not cut off completely, adding he is confident the Transportation Ministry will ensure the highway is opened safely as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwan is hoping the federal government will allow laid-off tourism workers to forgo the usual waiting period before receiving employment insurance.
Ucluelet received a boost this week when more than 300 sailors taking part in the Van Isle 360 yacht race made a stop in the community, many staying in hotels and spending money.
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