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Highway 97 north of Summerland finally reopened

Rock slide resulted in month-long closure and lengthy detours
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After more than a month of road closures and detours, Highway 97 north of Summerland is open to traffic once again.

The highway had been closed due to rock slides and slope movement near Callan Road north of Summerland.

The speed limit is 90 kilometres an hour in the area where the road had been closed.

RELATED: Bypass in place around Highway 97 rock slide

RELATED: Highway 97 rock slides have occurred in the past

The southbound slow lane, closest to the rock slope above the highway, is still closed as staff with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are monitoring the slope for additional movement as temperatures warm.

The road was closed after a rock slide more than a month ago.

Initially, motorists travelling past the slide area had to take a lengthy detour using Highways 3A, 3, 5A, 97C and 97. Later, detours were put in place using forest service roads. The much shorter Callan Road detour was opened on Feb. 11, resulting in a much more direct route past the slide area.

RELATED: Shorter detour for Highway 97 commuters in the Okanagan

RELATED: Callan Rd. to have intermittent closures on Feb. 16

The slide occurred on the evening of Jan. 31. At that time, the highway was still open to traffic. However, more slope activity and rock fall resulted in a complete highway closure on Feb. 2.

Argo Road Maintenance has been assessing the slope and removing material.

More than 20,000 cubic metres of rock and debris has been removed from the site. This is the equivalent of eight Olympic swimming pools.

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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