Blasting work at the site of an August 2023 landslide will close Highway 97 north of Summerland on Saturday, March 2.
The road will be closed in both directions from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park for 1.5 kilometres.
Blasting work has been scheduled periodically in the area for several months and will continue intermittently until the site is stable. Geotechnical engineers continue to monitor the slide site for changes in ground conditions, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure added.
The highway closed for four consecutive days from Feb. 23 to 26 for blasting and rock removal.
The 1.5-kilometre stretch on Saturday will be temporarily closed to all traffic and re-open as soon as road work and safety assessments are complete, AIM Roads said.
Along with the planned closures, drivers can expect intermittent 15 to 20-minute closures daily.
The section of the highway first closed on Aug. 28, after a significant rockslide. It didn’t reopen to single-lane alternating traffic until Sept. 11.
Fully re-opening Highway 97 to four lanes will take “months, not weeks,” MoTI representative Erik Lachmuth told the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen on Feb. 8.
READ MORE: ‘Months, not weeks’ until Highway 97 fully reopens north of Summerland