Williams Lake, B.C. – Highway 20 will re-open to traffic today at 4 p.m. in both directions, 25 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, following a significant washout near the Sheep Creek Bridge last week.Ministry crews have been working to reconstruct a 75-metre section of the highway and embankment. Two thousand dump truck loads of material was trucked to the site to assist with the reconstruction and a new culvert and drainage infrastructure is now installed to address the subsurface water conditions that led to the failure.

The highway embankment failed due to a combination of factors including a number of natural springs in the area and a high ground water table. Local ministry staff and the ministry’s maintenance contractor, Interior Roads Ltd., will be regularly monitoring the site over the coming months.