The Trans Canada Highway between Lytton and Spences Bridge is closed due to projected heavy rainfall and the possibility of debris flows.
The highway is expected to remain closed overnight and will be inspected again on Saturday morning, the province said. Travelers are asked to check the DriveBC website, the province’s online source, for current travel conditions and events.
The province says it has crews and equipment on hand to handle any cleaning or repairs that may occur to ensure the road can be reopened safely.
Thompson-Nikola District Director (TNRD) Stephen Rice told the CBC that there were at least three mudslides on the Nicola River, which runs from Merritt to Spence Bridge, where it flows into the Thompson River.
He said that after the land was compromised by forest fires last summer, the riverbank was unstable and a “perfect storm” for slides.
“We’re talking about the beginning of fresh, this is the first big fresh spray we’ve had this year,” he said.
He said there were no damaged slide structures, but said he expected some properties to be affected by rising water.
“There will now be a new landscape along the Nikola River, because you can see the shores eroding as we speak,” he said.
He described the river near his home, just outside Spence Bridge on Highway 8, as “carving” the lower banks. Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have made this happen quickly, he said.
“Mother Nature is Mother Nature. She does what she wants when she wants to do it,” Rice said.
“At the end of the day, we knew it was coming and that’s scary … it’s kind of in the beginning, not the end. So it’s pretty weird.”
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