Highway 4 to close for boulder removal

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has announced closures for Highway 4 to allow crews to remove about “a dozen refrigerator-sized boulders” as part of work related to the Cameron Bluff wildfire.

The province says the highway — which is the main connection between several Vancouver Island communities and the rest of B.C. — will see “full day-time closures” on Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, weather permitting.

Closures are expected to last from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The boulder removal is part on the rock-scaling work at Angel Rock, which the province says “has proven to be the most challenging segment of the bluff.”

“Rock scaling is a complex and labour-intensive process, requiring work on cliff faces to safely remove dangerous rock material, and can be carried out only in daylight hours and during favourable weather conditions,” the ministry explains in a release.

Highway 4 has experienced closures since early June, when the Cameron Bluffs wildfire grew, raising safety concerns for those using the route.

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The highway is the only paved road connecting Tofino, Ucluelet, and Port Alberni to the rest of the province.

The province says Highway 4 is now expected to fully reopen in both directions by the end of August. It is currently open to single-lane alternating traffic as crews continue to work on the road.

It explains work to secure bluffs above the highway has been delayed by weather in recent weeks.

In addition to the two day-long closures, Highway 4 will continue to be closed from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. until the complete reopening.

Drivers are being asked to plan ahead for potential unplanned closures, which will be communicated by DriveBC.

People needing to get through can still use the detour between Lake Cowichan and Port Alberni.

Crews on Vancouver Island work to install safety features along Highway 4, which was shut down because of a wildfire. (Courtesy B.C. Government)

After first being shut down on June 6, the highway partially reopened on June 23 to single-lane alternating traffic.

That came after crews were able to install temporary safety measures, including a concrete barrier and protective “mesh curtains” suspended by cranes to prevent debris from falling onto the highway.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says as part of slope stabilization work, crews have removed about “200 dangerous trees and 600 tonnes of rock-scaling debris.”

Teams continue their work to install 1.2 kilometres of barrier and rock fencing.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the Cameron Bluffs fire was, as of Friday, Aug. 4, about 229 hectares. Located south of Highway 4, the cause of this blaze remains under investigation.

The service notes the fire is currently considered under control.

-With files from James Paracy and Pippa Norman