Highway 19 reopened after sinkhole, but permanent repairs will take months, minister says
(CTV News)
B.C.'s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure says it will likely be months before a sinkhole north of Nanaimo is fully repaired.
Minister Rob Fleming told reporters during a news conference Saturday that he hoped Highway 19 would be able to reopen that evening, but noted that repair work would likely continue for months even after the road is opened.
"Further closures will be needed to get significant work periods to remediate and fix that," Fleming said. "We'll communicate with the public in advance of any work that's going to be done."
Highway 19 has been closed in both directions near Lantzville, B.C. since Friday. Southbound lanes had been opened after the sinkhole was discovered on Thursday, but they were closed again Friday afternoon to accommodate repair work.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, the road had reopened, according to DriveBC.
A detour is in place through Superior Road and Lantzville Road, but Fleming advised everyone to avoid the affected portion of Highway 19 if they can.
"Delays on this detour can be quite long," the minister said.
On Friday evening, the Malahat Highway reopened to two-way traffic for the first time since the devastating storm that struck B.C. Sunday and Monday.
Repairs on that section of Highway 1 are still ongoing, and are also expected to take months, according to Fleming.
