iN VIDEO: 12-tonne boulder leaves crater in road near Hope
A couple boulders came roaring down a hillside closed a road near Hope today.
They were part of a slide that happened on Flood Hope Road this morning, Jan. 5, near Hope at Richmond Hill.
The larger boulder weighs about 12 tonnes, according to District of Hope operations manager Bob Clarke.
“We have to clean up a bunch of smaller stuff all that time but this is definitely one of the larger ones I've had to deal with,” Clarke said, who’s been with the District for 12 years. “We wouldn’t even try it with our backhoe – probably weighs more than the backhoe.”
Instead, a local company was hired.
“Hope Ready Mix come in with a large cat loader that was able to just barely move it off to the side of the road,” Clarke said.
The boulders are still at the side of the road. Another company will be hired to break them into smaller pieces to be hauled away, he said. The slide originated from about 650 feet up the hill. The larger boulder left a crater about one-foot deep in the asphalt, which has since been filled.
One witness told Clarke that he saw smoke coming from the hillside so he stopped his vehicle and watched as the slide took place. After the witness stopped, another vehicle continued driving down Flood Hope Road and was struck by a smaller rock, however the driver continued onward.
The road will remain closed to the public until the hillside is determined to be stable by a geotechnical assessment, which is expected to take place tomorrow.
Hope RCMP Staff Sgt. Dwayne Farlin also responded to the incident. He said there was another smaller boulder and at least a dozen smaller rocks that fell to the road, and no injuries were reported.
“I was amazed by the amount of power the rocks can have when they come rolling down the side of the hill,” Farlin said.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
