Highway 8 closed by mudslide between Merritt, Spences Bridge

A mudslide has shut down Highway 8 in both directions between Merritt and Spences Bridge.

That highway, which is still being rebuilt, was severely damaged by flooding in 2021. It only reopened late last year.

It’s unclear when exactly the route will reopen, with DriveBC saying as of 1:30 p.m. Friday that there was no ETA.

REMINDER – #BCHwy8 is closed in both directions from #MerrittBC to #SpencesBridge due to debris from a mudslide blocking the roadway. Estimated time of opening is not available. Next update at 4:00PM.

ℹ️For more info:https://t.co/Eo3a40Lr1u pic.twitter.com/9HrbSRsFoA

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) July 14, 2023

The closure was first reported by the agency Thursday, just before 8 p.m.

Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz says whenever a highway shuts down, both locals and visitors are affected.

“It doesn’t matter which highway it is, if it goes down, it affects us, because there’s always people who live out there who want to come to Merritt for commerce and just go to a restaurant or something. It does affect us when any highway, no matter what size, closes down,” he told CityNews Friday.

He feels the highway and other routes need to be made to withstand major weather and natural events, adding Highway 8 will likely face issues for years to come.

“This road was completely impassible just a little over, what, eight months ago? And it’s been quite a feat to get it back together again. So I think Highway 8 is going to be susceptible to a lot of this over the next little while. But I think they are trying to rebuild this highway as strong as they can,” he explained.

“They’re going to have to build it to higher flood levels because of what happened, and that changes everything as well. The professionals will be the ones to make that decision but I think council in Merritt needs to be involved in that as well and let them know what our wishes are.”

Goetz says when the Coquihalla closed for 18 hours last week, the entire town was filled with stranded tourists.

Related articles: 

• Storm-shattered Highway 8 reopens between Merritt and Spences Bridge, nearly a year later

• B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report

More than 25 sections of Highway 8 were washed away during the floods of the fall of 2021. Several areas were also completely flooded during the November storms.

At the time of reopening, the province noted that the highway was still under construction.

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