The Fraser-Nicola MLA says she hasn’t heard directly from any property owners in her riding who may have been impacted by mudslides or rockslides this weekend.
Jackie Tegart says the Trans-Canada Highway in the Fraser Canyon isn’t the only road in her region that’s been impacted.
“We’ve also had Highway 12 affected, Road 40 [Lillooet Pioneer Road] affected, the Mission-Dam Road affected and the Highline Road. The fluctuation in temperature has been concerning, and with the amount of snow we’ve seen I think people have been very watchful for rockslides and mudslides.”
Highway 1 through the Canyon was fully closed for nearly 48 hours this weekend north of Hope, after rainfall and melting snow caused a number of rockslides and washouts.
“We certainly know that there’s a number of areas in the province where people are very, very inconvenienced, and perhaps cut off. I think the road crews are out there doing everything they can to make sure that it’s safe for people to go through,” Tegart says.
Right now, vehicles are getting through only by police escort on Highway 1 in the Canyon near Boston Bar, in a stretch of nearly 30 kilometres.
Photos also show part of the CN Rail line north of Hope was impacted by a rockslide, with part of the line covered and ground washed out from under the line in another part.
“CN crews are working around the clock, responding to a new washout caused by the heavy rainfall that has been occurring throughout the lower mainland. This issue was discovered during preventative patrols. No one has been injured, no cars derailed and no product has been spilled,” spokesperson Alexandre Boule tells NL News.
The situation is much worse in parts of the Fraser Valley. Hundreds of people have been stuck since Friday at the Sasquatch Mountain Resort near Harrison Hot Spring because of a road washout, and a private helicopter is transporting up to 15 people at a time for a fee of $150 dollars. Some homes closer to Harrison also had to be evacuated because of debris flow and flooding.
#BCStorm CN washout near #HopeBC that is fiber cable pic.twitter.com/r1A7s27Puh
— Kamscan (@Kamscan) February 2, 2020
Via @driveBc – Road 40 (Lillooet-Pioneer Rd), closed due to slide between Mission Mountain Rd and Yalakom Rd for 16.8 km (26 to 43 km west of Lillooet). Assessment in progress. Detour not available. Estimated time of opening not available. pic.twitter.com/uDBGyJE0qT
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) February 2, 2020
Various side roads in the interior are still impacted by rainfall. Road 40, Mission Dam Road (pictured) and Highline Road are closed and being assessed. Check DriveBC – https://t.co/QBkHAkf8R9 pic.twitter.com/BYfKlvfIOx
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) February 2, 2020
A washout and debris flow has Rockwell Drive CLOSED east of #HarrisonHotSprings. Assessment in progress, no detour available. More info and footage below. https://t.co/lkQcR0GfMb #Agassiz #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/VKnsAuAzN6
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 3, 2020