Rockfall raises concerns about north Okanagan commuter route

A major highway in B.C.'s northern Okanagan was closed for more than 24 hours after a rockslide that a local district councillor had warned could happen.

On Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. PT, debris fell onto the Pelmewash Parkway an eight-kilometre commuter route between Lake Country and Vernon according to the District of Lake Country.

No one was injured in the incident and the road was reopened Thursday at 6 p.m., the district said in astatement.

The slide didn't come as a surprise to Lake Country Mayor James Baker, who says the parkway is a rockslide hotspot andCoun. Todd McKenziehad warned about its safety ata council meeting Tuesday.

"Certainly the sort of natural occurrence, especially this year with the freeze and thaw cycles we've had this winter, has resulted in more occurrencesof fractured rock on that slope [along the Parkway]," Baker toldSarah Penton, the host of CBC's Radio West.

'Crashing down very quickly'

Malcolm Hett lives in Lake Country's Oyama neighbourhood and was driving home from Vernon when it happened. He says over the past several years there have beenmultiple rockfalls onthe Pelmewash Parkway, but the amount of debris this time wasmore than usual.

"That whole hillside came crashing down very quickly," Hett said. "We literally had to run from the scene and go towards the [Wood] Lake, as everything crashed down and a large amount of rock debris and everything slid across both lanes [of the Parkway] into our vehicles."

Hett says he got out of his car, which was slightly damaged by the slide, to clearrocks so other drivers couldget by,but he didn't dare to stand too close to the edge of the road.

"In the moment, you just acted on your adrenaline and instinct, and then once 30 seconds passed by and you [caught] your breath, you realized, 'Holy smokes! That was pretty close!'"

The mayor says a geotechnical engineer has assessed the slope stability along the Pelmewash Parkway, and the district has built a rock catchment berm along the section of the road where the slide occurred.

Hett says the road should beclosed pendinga geological assessment of its safety.

"It's not a major inconvenience to have to route around this, go up to the highway [97] and get around," he said. "It's just a little bit of extra time."

Tap the link below to hear Malcolm Hett and James Baker on Radio West: