Crews removed about 10 truckloads of rock debris after a day-long rock-scaling session Thursday at the Cameron Bluffs on Highway 4 that shut down all traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We made some great progress on that,” said Janelle Staite, the Ministry of Transportation’s deputy director for the south coast region.
A second full day of rock scaling is set for next Thursday at the same location, and Staite said things are “on track” for a full reopening of the highway by the end of the month.
The measures became necessary after a nearby wildfire that started in June weakened the rocky slopes beside the highway.
A single-lane opening at the bluffs has been allowing alternating traffic to get through at set times while rock scaling was underway, but the two days of extended closures were scheduled because workers discovered about a dozen boulders the size of refrigerators that had to be removed.
Removing them poses too much danger to allow traffic to go by, the ministry said.
Prior to Thursday’s closure, crews had already taken out about 600 tonnes of rock-scaling debris and 200 dangerous trees.
Staite said that vehicle lineups were “fairly significant” after the road opened up Thursday night.
“It took us about two hours to clear both directions before we were able to get back to single-lane alternating traffic.”
The effects of the wildfire began with a full closure of the highway linking communities such as Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet to the rest of the Island.
That was followed by the establishment of a detour route on backroads from Lake Cowichan to Port Alberni, via the Bamfield area, before the single lane was opened after 2 1/2 weeks. The detour route is still in operation.
Single-lane alternating traffic was back Friday and will continue until next Thursday’s closure.
Staite said that the full reopening of the highway will be a big relief for people living in the area and for travellers.
She said the ministry is working to ensure the debris has been fully dealt with “and we’re feeling comfortable with the safety of motorists going through there.”
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