Work on the site of a 2023 rock slide north of Summerland continues to slow daily traffic along Highway 97.
The August 2023 slide blocked the highway when around 3,000 cubic metres of material came down onto the road.
This slide occurred between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, in an area where slides have happened in the past, including in 2008, 2014 and 2019.
At the time of the slide, there were lengthy delays while crews worked to clear the area. The main alternative DriveBC suggested as a detour could add three to four hours to travel time for people moving between Kelowna and Summerland.
While the highway is now open to traffic in both directions, it is not yet open in all lanes. In addition, there are often delays of 15 to 20 minutes as crews continue their work. Some lengthier delays have occurred in winter and early spring to allow for blasting to stabilize the slide area.
Steve Sirett, executive director for the southeast region with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, said construction work will continue on the portion of Highway 97 north of Summerland.
“I expect work to continue there the rest of the year,” he said.
There will be four to six lengthy highway closures in May, with no more anticipated after that time. However, delays of up to 20 minutes will continue in the slide area.
Sirett urges motorists to monitor DriveBC for information on road conditions and planned closures along the highway.
Lengthy construction is required in order to stabilize the area for the long-term, with the hopes of not having to revisit the area in the future.
Once current work is completed, there are plans to eventually remove the berm and build a retaining wall in the area.
Currently almost 43,000 cubic metres of material has been removed from the slide area. A total of 60,000 cubic metres is expected to be removed by the time the work is finished. The total material is enough to fill 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The rock slide north of Summerland was not the only slide to affect transportation in 2023.
In April and May that year, a series of landslides at the bottom of Summerland Hill blocked traffic as a 40-metre portion of the highway was covered in debris.
This slide also resulted in lengthy delays, although some motorists followed a series of winding roads through Summerland, adding traffic congestion in the community.
The site at the bottom of Summerland Hill was later stabilized and a lock block retaining wall was added.
Sirett said that the slide area has now been stabilized and no further issues are anticipated.