The Soda Creek-Macalister Road north of Williams Lake remains closed to all traffic following a road failure that occurred on Sunday, March 29.
A geotechnical assessment that was completed in early April determined there could be further upslope movement of the slide area, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure confirmed April 16.
“Preliminary results from our onsite geotechnical instrumentation indicates there’s been limited movement of the slide material since the original slide occurred.”
Read more: Geotechnical assessment slated for Soda Creek MacAlister Road slide area
Ministry staff will continue onsite weekly field monitoring for any movement, and they will be particularly observing the slide area during the spring freshet to determine if the Fraser River triggers any additional movement.
Additionally, a preliminary engineering design to support a future repair is also underway.
Local access continues to be available through the area via Highway 97 with minor impacts to travel and no residents cut off, the ministry noted.
Our geotechnical engineers must asses this slide/embankment failure, which has Soda Creek-Macalister Road closed 10 km south of #BCHwy97. Via @DriveBC https://t.co/v379907Hh5 #WilliamsLake pic.twitter.com/3ZjzakYQZI
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) March 30, 2020
There is no current timeline for the work to be completed and Soda Creek-Macalister Road reopened, the spokesperson added, noting the appropriate signage remains in place to alert drivers of the closure, and people should continue to check DriveBC.ca and @DriveBC on Twitter for the most up-to-date information.
As for load restrictions in place as temperatures warm up in the region, most of the side road network in the Cariboo-Chilcotin is now at 70 per cent legal axle loading, which means that any log inventory that originates on those side roads is not able to be hauled at present.
“The majority of the main provincial numbered routes are at 100 per cent legal axle loading, which means the hauling of logs is allowed at this time.”
Leading into spring breakup, local ministry staff were in close consultation with the local mills to ensure they were adequately preparing, the spokesperson said.
Read more: WASHOUT: Slide at Soda Creek MacAlister Road makes road impassable
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