Mild temperatures at this time of year have begun to wreak havoc on local roads. The section of Highway 6 one kilometer from the Needles ferry landing was closed Wednesday February 18 by crews, temporarily cutting the town of Edgewood off from services in Nakusp.
Tasha Hall, a photographer and employee at the lumber yard who was able to get closer to the damage by asking if she could get in to take photos, spoke with the Arrow Lakes News this morning.
“We were hearing rumblings from some of the drivers starting yesterday, people said they were flying over it (the uneven section of the road) and getting air.” According to Hall, who works just a few minutes from the site, drivers can still get on the ferry in either direction. They are alternating single lane traffic on the logging road which parallels the highway- but even that could be a hazard.
“You can see the sloughing away along the logging road. The guys said that they are hoping to keep the logging road open for now” Hall said. She estimates about bout 10 crew members are on site assessing the damage and directing traffic.
“The damage is extensive, the water is running under the road. That much damage happened in the last 10 hours and the road is just broken.”
The cracks are 200 feet long. The damage is extensive and may end up with the highway sliding away completely.
“The Geotech is out there right now and we are still waiting for them to make an assessment. It will be updated on the DriveBC website,” said a spokesperson for the YRB during a telephone interview with the Arrow Lakes News.
Five days later, traffic is still being diverted to the logging road for about a two-minute stretch and many drivers have said it’s a little muddy but it’s an acceptable fix for the time being.
