Heading into Wednesday there is still no definitive word on when the highway between Terrace and Kitwanga will be re-opened after a massive land and mud slide that has left the road blocked.
Pictures from the scene show a mountain of debris stretching far and wide which must leave the highways and forestry crews with but one question. Where to start?
It’s a time consuming process ahead, one that is limited by daylight, weather conditions and stability of the area so as to provide for the safest work environment possible. There is hope of an announcement on Wednesday, but time will tell as to when the road re-opens to traffic between the coast and Prince George.
Drive BC website
Below is some of the regional and national coverage of the story.
CTV News-Northern BC Town still cut off after landslide
Prince George Citizen-Highway 16 probably closed for another day
Global BC-Highway 16 reopening long way off, residents fear
CBC News-Highway 16 remains closed until Wednesday
Opinion 250-Crews Working on Terrace Area Slide
The Daily news had details on the slide in Tuesday’s paper.
HIGHWAY LOST UNDER HUGE SLIDE
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, Many 29, 2007
Page one
Crews are venturing into the rocky landscape created by the mud slide that closed Highway 16 Monday morning, however loose debris is hanging on the slide chute above them and if anything moves on the mountain side, they will have to stop working to clear the road.
Don Ramsay, area manager for the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, said they’ve started removing the slide that covered 150 feet of highway with a river of rubble 40 feet deep. However, safety of the work crews is the number one priority.
“We’ve been given the go-head to begin removing material subject to weather conditions,” said Ramsey.
The slide took place yesterday near Legate Creek, which is 37km east of Terrace, closing both east- and west bound traffic.
The Ministry has a spotter in place to view the slide chute and closely monitor the lose material still on the hillside.
“If any material moves or the visibility of the spotter declines because of rain, we will have to shut it down,” said Ramsay.
If all goes well, at the earliest, the highway may be open late on Wednesday, he said.
Geotechnical engineers from Prince George were brought in yesterday to assess the stability of the slope and they gave the go-ahead to begin removing the debris.
Crews will be working to clear the road from both sides of the slide. However, many thousands of truckloads of rock, mud and trees will have to be removed, as much as 25,000 cubic metres of material.
The slide may have been triggered by the heavy rain that fell near Terrace on Saturday afternoon, or by the significant run off from this year’s record level snow packs, or a combination of the two.
The Ministry of Transportation has also been working with the RCMP at the slide site.
“It’s not absolutely definitive that no one was caught in the slide but we have been in touch with the RCMP and they have advised us they have not received any reports of missing persons at this time,” said Ramsay.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also involved in the clean-up effort, working with the province to identify sites where the material can be safely moved without impacting fish habitat.
So far, one site has been identified on the west side of the slide and other is being explored for the east side.
And the transportation ministry sent a grader to smooth out sections of a logging road known as the Cranberry Connector. It is 50 km long and the only east-west route now connecting the Northwest with the rest of B. C. However, it is not a recommended route.
Pictures from the scene show a mountain of debris stretching far and wide which must leave the highways and forestry crews with but one question. Where to start?
It’s a time consuming process ahead, one that is limited by daylight, weather conditions and stability of the area so as to provide for the safest work environment possible. There is hope of an announcement on Wednesday, but time will tell as to when the road re-opens to traffic between the coast and Prince George.
Drive BC website
Below is some of the regional and national coverage of the story.
CTV News-Northern BC Town still cut off after landslide
Prince George Citizen-Highway 16 probably closed for another day
Global BC-Highway 16 reopening long way off, residents fear
CBC News-Highway 16 remains closed until Wednesday
Opinion 250-Crews Working on Terrace Area Slide
The Daily news had details on the slide in Tuesday’s paper.
HIGHWAY LOST UNDER HUGE SLIDE
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, Many 29, 2007
Page one
Crews are venturing into the rocky landscape created by the mud slide that closed Highway 16 Monday morning, however loose debris is hanging on the slide chute above them and if anything moves on the mountain side, they will have to stop working to clear the road.
Don Ramsay, area manager for the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, said they’ve started removing the slide that covered 150 feet of highway with a river of rubble 40 feet deep. However, safety of the work crews is the number one priority.
“We’ve been given the go-head to begin removing material subject to weather conditions,” said Ramsey.
The slide took place yesterday near Legate Creek, which is 37km east of Terrace, closing both east- and west bound traffic.
The Ministry has a spotter in place to view the slide chute and closely monitor the lose material still on the hillside.
“If any material moves or the visibility of the spotter declines because of rain, we will have to shut it down,” said Ramsay.
If all goes well, at the earliest, the highway may be open late on Wednesday, he said.
Geotechnical engineers from Prince George were brought in yesterday to assess the stability of the slope and they gave the go-ahead to begin removing the debris.
Crews will be working to clear the road from both sides of the slide. However, many thousands of truckloads of rock, mud and trees will have to be removed, as much as 25,000 cubic metres of material.
The slide may have been triggered by the heavy rain that fell near Terrace on Saturday afternoon, or by the significant run off from this year’s record level snow packs, or a combination of the two.
The Ministry of Transportation has also been working with the RCMP at the slide site.
“It’s not absolutely definitive that no one was caught in the slide but we have been in touch with the RCMP and they have advised us they have not received any reports of missing persons at this time,” said Ramsay.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also involved in the clean-up effort, working with the province to identify sites where the material can be safely moved without impacting fish habitat.
So far, one site has been identified on the west side of the slide and other is being explored for the east side.
And the transportation ministry sent a grader to smooth out sections of a logging road known as the Cranberry Connector. It is 50 km long and the only east-west route now connecting the Northwest with the rest of B. C. However, it is not a recommended route.
No comments:
Post a Comment