Tuesday June 13, 2023 | VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC [Updated June 23, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Highway 4 was reopened on June 23, 2023.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) Rob Fleming provided a status update today about Highway 4 near Cameron Lake Bluffs on Vancouver Island.
The wildfire started on June 3 and the road closure was on June 6.
Fleming was joined on the livestreamed teleconference by a ministry operations specialist Janelle Staite. She outlined:
- Detour route opened June 7.
- Convoys have been allowing commercial trucks to get through.
- Travel still needs to be used for essential travel only.
- Single-lane alternating traffic may be opened for a phased-opening, with access starting on the weekend of June 24 and 25. Expect lengthy queues
Soil loosened by fire:
There is resettling of the soil after being loosened by the fire. As a result, there are still some large trees and smaller types of debris (including rocks) that could still be falling on the highway at this time, especially at Cameron Lake Bluffs, says Fleming.
Stabilizing the slopes afterward is a major part of the work for MOTI as the days going on.
Two dozen trees have been identified for removal, for safety reasons. Some trees are one metre in diameter. Some trees are burning from the inside, says Staite; that prolongs the danger related to fire.
Impacting supply chains:
Fleming acknowledges there has been a shortage of goods getting through.
Staite says five fuel trucks will be getting through tomorrow (June 14), but there will still be less supply as the trucks can only get through with one tank per truck (instead of two). More gas becomes available when drivers reach Lake Cowichan.
“The alternate route is providing all of its worth,” said Fleming.
Federal:
Fleming says his ministry has reached out to the federal government for support. He mentioned air quality as a problem that may reach beyond BC borders.
Across the country, this appears to be the ‘worst wildfire season in a century’, says Fleming. In recent weeks there have also been significant wildfire impacts in Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Human impacts:
Wildfires spread quickly and have a wide range of human impacts including homes and property, travel plans, and health from smoke as well as road danger.
This particular fire was human-caused, resulting in significant impacts.
Resources:
Significant resources are being deployed for managing safety in the area as well as plans for phased reopening the road.
In addition to 30 staff and maintenance contractors there are four informational checkpoints, eight changeable message signs, 12 porta potty facilities, four water trucks travelling the route 24/7 to keep control dust, two graders to help maintain surface conditions, and two pilot vehicles to keep an eye on overall conditions and operations.
