The Ministry of Transportation is not providing a timeline yet for when Highway 97 north of Summerland will reopen.
The highway closed in both directions on Monday afternoon when large boulders and power lines came crashing down on the highway at North Beach Road near La Punta Norte Guest Inn. There were no injuries reported.
An aerial geotechnical assessment took place Tuesday morning to determine if it is safe for crews to begin clearing the road without risk of further rockfall, according to a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure press release.
“Heavy equipment is ready to move in if the aerial assessment determines that it is safe,” stated the news release.
An initial estimate is that approximately 3,000 cubic metres of material came down.
This specific location, between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, where the rockfall occurred has had minor rockfalls historically, said the ministry.
The ministry said people should check DriveBC.ca for updates on the highway.
People are taking to social media saying they are stranded in Kelowna while others are taking alternative back road routes meant for 4x4s.
Many of those alternative roads are gravel and have no cellular service available.
While the roadblock is only between an area of about 300 metres, the detours in effect can take three to four hours to get around. DriveBC lists Highway 97C, Highway 5A, Highway 3 and Highway 33 for detours.
