$23M to stabilize Summerland rockslide site

A construction company is getting $23.2 million to stabilize the site of the rockslide in Summerland in 2023 which will mean a return to four lane traffic.

Emil Anderson Construction has the contract to do long-term stabilization on the slope next to Highway 97 between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, according to a press release from the Ministry of Transportation issued today, July 31. 

The government has been working on short-term stabilization after the August 2023 rockslide blocked the road. The short-term work was completed in November and the work to stabilize the site long-term is expected to begin in the fall and end in the spring of 2027.

The long-term work includes building a retaining wall and catchment area along with a concrete wall next to the highway. There will also be rock anchors to secure the slope, new road surfaces and drainage improvements.

The highway is going to be rebuilt to its original four-lane layout.

Highway 97 between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake was closed for weeks after 3,000 cubic metres of rock fell onto the highway on Aug. 28, 2023.

Following the slide, the ministry secured the site to reopen the highway and began blasting away rock to prevent another slide. There have been intermittent temporary road closures so the rock could be blasted away safely.

When workers investigated the site of the rockslide they found massive tension cracks in the mountain that were two metres wide and 20 metres deep.

Due to the tension cracks engineers decided that a lot of work was needed to make sure the highway would be safe long-term.