Crews Working on Terrace Area Slide

By 250 News

    Crews are working on  the  slide near Terrace, but there is no certain word on when that  stretch of Highway 16 will be re-opened.

Crews are trying to remove the  mountain of debris from Highway 16  about 37 kilometers east of Terrace .  Ministry of Transportation Spokesman Jeff Knight says there are 25 thousand cubic metres of debris that  will nee to be removed before the highway can be re-opened.

The good news is, there is no indication there was anyone buried in the slide.

"Crews started working on the site at first light this morning and will  work until dark" says Knight.  He says they cannot   use  high powered lights to  keep working all night as they  need to continualy monitor the slope to ensure it it stable as they remove the  debris.

This is the second slide in that area of Highway 16 in three years.  Is the Ministry thinking perhaps the  highway should be re-routed?  "Right now, the only thing the Ministry is thinking about is getting that highway re-opened." says Knight.

The only way around this mess is the "Cranberry Connector", which uses part of a forestry road to link to highway 37.  Knight says the detour is not being  recommended "The Ministry is trying to do some grading  and adding gravel to that forestry road , but  right now, it is not a suggested detour.  That is an active logging road."

Night says  he is certain the highway will be closed for at least one more day,  but an update will be made available tomorrow.

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