A section of Highway 4 will close completely for several hours each day near Cameron Lake to stablize a cliff that has been weakened by a wildfire, the Transportation Ministry said Tuesday.
Because of the wildfire, the section of highway near Cameron Lake, linking the Island’s east and west coasts, was closed for about two weeks, and re-opened on June 23 with single-lane alternating traffic.
Beginning Monday until mid-August, the section will be closed again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with an 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. daily opening to “flush” traffic through.
There will be no closures on weekends, including the B.C. Day long weekend, the ministry said.
Chris Le Fevre, who owns Middle Beach Lodge and Bella Pacifica Campground in the Tofino area and also manages Cox Bay Beach Resort, said he appreciates the safety concerns but the ministry’s actions were a total surprise to him and came “out of nowhere” without consulting community members.
“The hours that they’ve chosen to do it couldn’t be worse,” he said.
Le Fevre said some people are “in revolt” over the decision.
The Transportation Ministry said the highway closings are needed to allow for rock scaling, the removal of loose rocks on slopes after assessment by geotechnical engineers.
The wildifre, which is under control and covers 229 hectares, compromised the slope and caused rocks and trees to fall onto the highway, leading to the full closure in June. That was followed by the opening of a narrow gravel detour route from the Lake Cowichan area to Port Alberni, via the Bamfield area.
Following that, a two-kilometre portion of the highway next to the fire was opened to single-lane, alternating traffic on June 23 — two and a half weeks after the vital connection to Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet and had been shut down.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming called the new closure plan “a crucial step” in getting Highway 4 fully reopened as soon as possible.
“We know this has been a challenging time for businesses and the tourism sector on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and we thank people for their patience as we work as quickly as possible to get this main corridor safely operating at full capacity again.”
It is important to get the highway back to normal for people and businesses in the affected areas, said Josie Osborne, MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim.
“This has been a difficult season for our all of our communities,” she said. “We’re grateful for the hard work of the crews who are keeping the highway and detour route safe for travel, and we continue to welcome visitors to our beautiful region of the Island.”
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, motorists trying to get through the single-lane stretch were facing delays of up to an hour during peak times, and less than 10 minutes outside of those times, the ministry said
Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwen, who runs the community’s Anchors Inn with her husband, said both that both Ucluelet and Tofino saw a rebound in visitors after the highway opened to single-lane traffic, and a return “to sort of a normal pace.”
She said that she will take Tuesday’s news in stride.
“Here we go again on the west coast,” she said, but stressed it is a positive thing that the closures are not 24/7.
“It’s open on weekends, it’s open evenings, there’s still the detour route that’s open and there’s still the option of people aiming for that two-hour opening 11:30 a.m. to 1:30.”
McEwen pointed that the west coast area put up with highway construction and closures at Kennedy Hill for five years and people were able to adapt.
“It just became a normal way of life.”
Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jolleen Dick said the single-lane opening has so far meant that visitors from all over the world have once again venturing to the Alberni Valley and Island’s west coast. “Our visitors’ centre has been busy with people inquiring about what to do in the area.”
Protective mesh is currently suspended over the sloped area above the highway where the fire has been burning in order to catch any falling debris.
“Once work is complete and the slope is deemed fully stable, the temporary protective measures can be removed and the highway will fully reopen,” the ministry said.
The detour route, established along forest-service roads and privately owned industrial roads after the highway was shut down, remains open for public use pending the full highway reopening.
It was used by about 1,000 vehicles a day before the single highway lane was opened, then went down to 100 vehicles daily — similar to traffic on the route prior to its designation as a detour.
The piloted convoys that ran on the detour four times a day to support the movement of fuel and food were discontinued last week, but can now be requested in advance.
Oversized loads that require a permit must still use the detour route rather than travel on Highway 4’s single lane.
Dick said some loads can’t be accommodated by either route, which has held up supplies for some projects.
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