The Nisga’a Highway is now open to single lane traffic from Gitlaxt’aamiks to Gingolx after a mudslide and flooding forced its closure Sept. 20, 2021.
Overland flooding in a spot 15 kilometres east of Laxgalts’ap made that section of road impassable, while a mudslide and flooding around the Red Bluff area closed the highway between Laxgalts’ap and Gingolx.
According to a Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG) media release, around 12 metres of concrete block wall near London Bridge collapsed, with water running through that section of the wall and carving a channel into the road surface.
At 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 21, an NLG update said that Ministry of Transportation has installed a temporary bridge over the channel. A geotechnical team determined the separate mudslide area was safe for crews to begin clearing the debris on Sept. 20.
Both sections are now open to single lane alternating traffic, with intermittent delays.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for Monday (Sept. 20), noting that residents in northwest B.C. could experience water pooling on roads, flash floods and washouts.
