The road connecting Tofino-Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island reopened Saturday night after a bridge was installed quicker than anticipated.
B次元官网网址淪pecialized bridge crews worked throughout the day to install a pre-fabricated 20-metre single-lane bridge,B次元官网网址� read a statement from B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Ministry of Transportation Saturday evening. B次元官网网址淚nstallation of the bridge was quicker than expected because bedrock was deeper than expected. This allowed for the bridge to be inset into the road grade, rather than above it, which would have required a substantial amount of approach ramp work. Construction time was also reduced by bringing in additional bridge crews and equipment.B次元官网网址�
REMINDER - OPEN - is re-opened at Kennedy Hill. Please drive with care and expect delays.
B次元官网网址� Drive BC (@DriveBC)
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The highway is now open to all vehicles, including delivery trucks and RVs that had not been able to pass through two B次元官网网址渆ssential travel onlyB次元官网网址� windows on Friday and Saturday.
The highway was open passenger vehicles and light pickup trucks on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and the highway was expected to be closed for a minimum of 24 hours afterwards as crews installed the bridge.
B次元官网网址淥nce these smaller vehicles have cleared at noon, Saturday, work will begin on placement of a pre-fabricated 20-metre single-lane bridge at the site. A specialized bridge crew will be working day and night to complete the install. Work will be challenging as the bridge is being placed in a narrow space between the rock bluff and Kennedy Lake,B次元官网网址� read a statement from B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure late Friday night.
Drivers trying to get through SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 temporary opening were screened at either side of the closure at the Tofino-Ucluelet junction and at Sproat Lake where vehicles deemed to large to pass over the highway were turned around.
B次元官网网址淒rivers need to obey the instructions of traffic control personnel,B次元官网网址� the ministry warned.
While commuters were able to get through the temporary openings over the weekend, larger delivery trucks had been blocked from the West Coast for roughly three days after a rockfall forced the highway to close in the early morning hours of Jan 23.
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The incident was caused by scheduling blasting work being conducted in the early morning hours of Jan. 23 as part of the provincial and federal governmentsB次元官网网址� joint $38 million Kennedy Hill Safety Improvement project aimed at boosting driver safety along a particularly tough to navigate 1.5 kilometre stretch of the highway roughly 15 kilometres from the Tofino-Ucluelet junction.
The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2020, though the ministry says crews are currently assessing how to continue their work with the new bridge in place.
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B次元官网网址淭he blast was done in a controlled manner with Traffic Control personnel in place. The road was closed to traffic at the time,B次元官网网址� said a BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson. B次元官网网址淭he contractor was following an approved plan for the blast, but larger than anticipated rockfall resulted in a portion of the road being impacted making it unsafe for the ministry to open the highway at this time.B次元官网网址�
DriveBC first reported that a B次元官网网址渕ajor road failureB次元官网网址� had closed the road through Twitter at 7:09 a.m. on Thursday and crews had initially hoped to have the highway open by 5 p.m. that day, however a geotechnical assessment of the site quickly quashed that timeline and the road remained closed Friday morning.
B次元官网网址淎 portion of the shoulder and travelling surface has sloughed away. The contractor needs to build that area back up to highway grade before the road can reopen. At present, the contractor is placing approximately 15 dump trucks of fill an hour to build up the base,B次元官网网址� the ministry said through a statement late Thursday evening.
The ministry said construction crews worked B次元官网网址渘on-stopB次元官网网址� throughout Thursday night and Friday morning to repair the road.
B次元官网网址淭he Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure thanks Emil Anderson Construction and its crew for the round-the-clock effort to reopen the highway,B次元官网网址� the statement reads. B次元官网网址淲hile some progress was made, the base wasnB次元官网网址檛 building as quickly as project engineers had estimated. Overnight, the decision was made to bridge the damaged section of highway to open it as soon as possible.B次元官网网址�
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The ministry assured that emergency vehicles would be able to pass through the site if needed.
UclueletB次元官网网址檚 fire chief Rick Geddes said he has been in frequent contact with the ministry and has reached out to the Port Alberni and Beaver Creek fire crews for assistance while the road is being repaired.
B次元官网网址淏etween the two of those fire departments, theyB次元官网网址檙e basically looking after anything on the other side of Kennedy Lake for us until this issue is resolvedB次元官网网址e canB次元官网网址檛 get a fire truck out there right now. ItB次元官网网址檚 limited to small vehicles,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e have a really good working agreement with the Port Alberni Fire Department, so one of the first things I did Friday morning was get a hold of them and ask if they had an ability to cover road rescue up to the east side of Kennedy Lake for us.B次元官网网址�
The closure locked Ucluelet resident Jess Arthurs out of her hometown and away from her 10-year-old son as well as her dog.
Arthurs told the Westerly B次元官网网址 on Friday morning that she had been in Victoria and planned to return to Ucluelet at 3 p.m. Thursday, but the closure nixed that idea and she fortunately found friends to stay with in Nanaimo while she waits for the road to reopen.
B次元官网网址淚t isnB次元官网网址檛 very convenient to be stuck away from home. My son is there and concerned when IB次元官网网址檒l make it back and our dog has to be farmed out. Plus, I am missing work and having to cancel clients,B次元官网网址� she said.
She added, though, that the crews working at the site deserve the West CoastB次元官网网址檚 support.
B次元官网网址淚magine what the workers are up against and all of the pressure on them day to day, night after night, long hours in the sideways rain and people constantly being upset with them because they need to be somewhere,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e are all aware that these situations were a possibility. I find the situation worse for the workers to be honest. Each time I travel back from being out of town, I bring them snacks as a thank you. Even though our communities are feeling the frustration, these growing pains of the construction will be over soon and loved and appreciated someday, so hang in there.B次元官网网址�
Pacific Coastal Airlines scheduled a special Saturday flight between Tofino and Vancouver to assist any tourists or residents stranded by closure.
B次元官网网址淲hile the road will open for a brief period this afternoon, traffic will be limited to essential travel only. This means that local residents and tourists may have to wait to travel until repair of the damaged section is completed,B次元官网网址� the company said through a statement released Friday.
The airline runs regularly scheduled flights between Vancouver and Tofino, but does not usually offer Saturday flights during the winter months.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pleased to step up to assist the people in these communities by adding a flight on Saturday, January 25B次元官网网址�, said the airlineB次元官网网址檚 corporate communications and public affairs director Kevin Boothroyd. B次元官网网址淚n doing so, we hope to relieve some of the backlog of passengers attempting to get in or out of the communities.B次元官网网址�
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The airline also planned to reach out to the Tofino General Hospital to determine if any cargo services are needed for essential medicine or medical supplies.
Parks Canada also stepped up to assist those trapped by the closure and has prepared two emergency support hubs in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve between Tofino and Ucluelet for travellers unable to get home.
The Combers Beach parking lot was available for all semi-trailer trucks and the Green Point Campground, including its adjacent washroom facilities, was open to all recreational vehicles and campers.
The Park Reserve advised anyone who had planned to visit over the weekend to postpone their trip.
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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