The province is hoping to partially reopen Highway 4 on Vancouver Island in late June, weeks after the Cameron Bluffs wildfire first shut it down.
A large section of the highway, about 20 kilometres east of Port Alberni, has been closed since June 6 due to the wildfire, severing the only paved roadway between the island's west coast communities of Tofino, Ucluelet and Port Alberni from the rest of B.C.On Tuesday, the province said it was tentatively planning on reopening the highway to single-lane alternating traffic in late June, as early as the weekend of June 24 and 25.
"We are anxious to get the road open as quickly as possible. But obviously safety is our top priority and we cannot reopen the highway until we know the public will be safe," he said. Eventually, the province will install temporary safety measures, like rock containment nets and a rock catchment area, before the highway is reopened to single lane alternating traffic.The first step will include putting a temporary load-bearing wall along the eastbound lane of Highway 4, and a protective mesh suspended by cranes to block falling rocks and trees.
The province has set up four information checkpoints with"basic facilities" along the detour route, and is monitoring it 24 hours a day.The detour route is shown. On June 11, the province also launched four daily commercial truck convoys along the detour route, which bring in food and fuel to the cut off communities.
"I want to acknowledge the uncertainty that this closure has caused, and I want to extend a deep thanks to the island communities affected by this closure," said Fleming.
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