Crews are investigating the site of a minor rock slide on Highway 97, north of Summerland.
The slide occurred on Monday, Dec. 8, around 4:30 p.m.
While this is close to the site of previous rock slides, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said the Dec. 8 incident is south of and unrelated to the existing North Beach slide site.
One rock, roughly the size of a microwave, hit the highway, and smaller rocks were scattered around the south lanes.
One vehicle was hit by falling rock. However, the ministry is not aware of any injuries as a result.
The south lanes of the highway were closed for around one hour. Following initial observations, the ministry reopened the highway to one lane in each direction for the rest of the night.
A more detailed geotechnical investigation is expected on Dec. 9.
The portion of Highway 97 north of Summerland has had numerous rock slides over the years. Slides have occurred in 2008, 2014, 2019 and 2023.
During many of these slide incidents, the highway has been shut down between Summerland and Peachland, resulting in lengthy detours for motorists.
Amelia Boultbee, MLA for Penticton-Summerland, said she wants more concrete timelines and expectations about work along this highway. She also wants to see other travel routes examined.
“It’s obviously a terrible location for a highway,” she said. “The geology is quite difficult. Efforts to stabilize it have been unsuccessful.”
She added that the highway is an important transportation link. It is also used by people travelling from the South Okanagan to medical appointments and treatments in Kelowna, and transporting sick or injured people to Kelowna for medical care. Medical treatments cannot be delayed, she said.
“We have to stop treating it as an inconvenience and start treating it as a threat to safety,” Boultbee said of the highway.
Other MLAs and mayors in the Okanagan have also addressed the need for action on this portion of the highway.
Boultbee said there is a need for long-term planning in investment and infrastructure for this work.
However, she is optimistic that MLAs across the province and from different political parties will be able to come together to find a workable solution to the challenges of this portion of the highway.