Spraying shotcrete along Trans-Canada Highway in the Southern Interior. Ministry of Transportation crews dealt with a small rock slide on the new stretch of Highway 97 in Lake Country on Monday, March 10, 2014.
Image Credit: Ministry of Transportation
March 10, 2014 - 3:44 PM
LAKE COUNTRY – The warmer temperatures on the weekend are testing the stability of the newly exposed rock faces along the new portion of Highway 97 in Lake Country.
Early Monday morning, rocks came tumbling down but were captured in the roadside ditch without making it to the highway.
The Ministry of Transportation closed a section of the southbound, outside lane while staff assessed the slope and removed the fallen rock.
It was scheduled to reopen at the end of the day.
The freeze and thaw cycles combined with melting snow and rain contribute to unstable conditions in rock faces along the province’s highways.
The ministry says potential rock fall sites were identified during the design of the new section of highway. The piece of road where Monday’s rock fall happened was built with a large ditch and concrete barrier to contain the falling rocks.
To contact the reporter for this story, email halexander@infotelnews.ca or call 250-491-0331.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014