The Trans Canada Highway between Lytton and Spences Bridge is closed due to heavy rainfall and the possibility of runoff.
The highway is expected to remain closed overnight and will be re-inspected Saturday morning, the province says. Travelers are asked to check the DriveBC website, the province’s online source for current road conditions and events.
The province says it has equipment and equipment at its disposal to deal with any cleaning or repairs that may arise to ensure that the road can be reopened safely.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Area Director Steven Rice told CBC that there have been at least three landslides along the Nicola River from Merritt to Spences Bridge, where it flows into the Thompson River.
He said that as the ground was compromised by a forest fire last summer, the riverbank was unstable and a “perfect storm” for the slides.
“We’re talking about the start of the cool, this is the first big fresh splash we’ve had this year,” he said.
He said no structures had been damaged by the slides, but said he hoped some properties would be affected by the rising water.
“Along the Nicola River there will now be a new landscape because you can see how the banks are eroding as we talk,” he said.
He described the river near his home on the outskirts of Spences Bridge on Highway 8 as “sculpting” the lower reaches of the banks. Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have caused this to happen quickly, he said.
“Mother Nature is Mother Nature. She does what she wants to do when she wants to do it,” Rice said.
“At the end of the day, we knew this was coming, and what’s scary … it’s a little bit at the beginning, not at the end. So it’s pretty weird.”