Copyright vernonmorningstar
Traffic is changing on Highway 97 north of Summerland as long-term stabilization work begins. The affected area is the North Beach rock slide site, between Callan Road and North Beach Road. As of Nov. 3, Emil Anderson Construction Inc. will begin painting new traffic lines and reducing cones and traffic structures to direct traffic during the repair work. The province says the traffic pattern changes are expected to remain in place until the spring of 2027. Motorists are being advised to expect delays. Site preparation work begins in November. During the construction work, brief highway closures may occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. These will be limited to no more than two per day, lasting no more than 20 minutes. Closures will occur throughout the project. The work will take place Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the potential for weekend work. No traffic-affecting work will take place on holidays and long weekends. Drivers are asked to use caution, obey posted speed limits and follow directions of traffic control personnel. In July, a $23.2 million contract was awarded to Emil Anderson Construction Inc. to complete the next phase of work on Highway 97 north of Summerland. This work is part of the efforts to stabilize the slope beside the highway. The work is expected to return the highway to its four-lane configuration. It will include building a retaining wall and a catchment area at the base of the slope, along with a concrete wall next to the highway for added reinforcement. In August 2023, a rock slide dumped around 3,000 cubic metres of material onto the road surface. This resulted in the closure of the highway north of Summerland. Extensive geotechnical work was done following this slide. From the fall of 2023 until the fall of 2024, crews removed unstable rock and installed more than 100 rock anchors in the first phase of their stabilization efforts. This portion of the highway has had other rock slides in past years, in 2008, 2014 and 2019. All resulted in lengthy closures and detours. When the road has been closed immediately after a rock slide, a trip between Summerland and Peachland, which would normally take around 20 minutes, requires several hours as motorists must face a detour of nearly 300 kilometres along Highway 97C, Highway 5A, and Highway 3. Mayors from Summerland and other communities, as well as Conservative MLAs have called for a year-round alternate route in the area.
