Today’s mudslide which shut down a portion of Highway 3A between Castlegar and Playmor Junction could have been much worse.
That from Regional District of Central Kootenay fire chief Andrew Bellerby who says there was no injuries resulting from the slide and no damage to any properties or vehicles.
It happened 2 km east of Brilliant Dam just before 9:00 am, stalling traffic along the busy highway. Light vehicles have been able to detour via Pass Creek Road and commercial vehicles via the Bombi Pass and Highway 6.
The highway has since reopened with traffic moving in single alternating lanes.
Bellerby says Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure staff responded shortly after the slide to run a geotechnical assessment and crews have since been working to clean up the highway. He anticipates traffic will be running smoothly along the highway again tomorrow, pending further slides.
The Kootenay Columbia School district detoured some of its buses this afternoon for students from Twin Rivers Elementary School, Robson Community School and Stanley Humphries Secondary School. SD 20 plans to have buses run their normal routes in the morning but are anticipating delays as traffic may still be running in single lanes near where the slide happened.
The slide forced the RDCK to declare a State of Local Emergency for Area I in order to issue an evacuation order for a single property on Sentinel Mountain forest service road by Thrums. Residents have been notified. Bellerby says crews will continue to monitor the hill near the home to ensure it’s not over-saturated. He says they want to ensure there is no risk for further slides before letting the residents back home.
The MoTI says saturated grounds from our region’s high snowpack has increased the risks of mudslides and washouts. They add they’re doing everything possible to maintain safe conditions and minimize road closures.
The RDCK has activated its Emergency Operations Centre to support all agencies involved in the cleanup.