Highway 4 on Vancouver Island reopens to single-lane traffic

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says Highway 4 partially reopened Wednesday after crews repaired a damaged crane following a period of high winds.

High winds forced the complete closure of Vancouver Island's only highway to the western communities of Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet on Tuesday.

Highway 4 was shut down in both directions east of Port Alberni, between Cathedral Grove and Koen Road, before 12:30 p.m.

On Wednesday morning, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said the highway remained closed "due to an unexpected issue on site."

In a later update, the ministry said the highway would reopen to single-lane traffic after 11:30 a.m. to allow for repairs to an on-site crane.

“Crews worked through the night to repair one of the cranes that holds netting that shields the road from rocks falling from the bluff,” the ministry said.

“The highway is closed while crane repairs are underway to ensure the safety of travellers.”

Until then, travellers are advised to avoid the highway and instead use the four-hour detour route between Youbou in the Cowichan Valley and Port Alberni. 

It's the second time in just over a week that winds forced the highway to close. The ministry shut down the highway on July 16, citing wind danger. That closure lasted until the following morning.

"Travellers should be prepared for a possible full overnight closure and plan their travel accordingly," the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a statement just before 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.

"Winds on site continue to gust in excess of 50 km/h, which requires the highway to remain closed until the wind subsides to ensure the safety of the public as well as the crews and equipment on site."

The ministry has erected mesh coverings along highway to prevent loose rocks and other debris from falling onto the roadway after the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.

"In high winds, the mesh must be lowered, which puts the site at increased risk of falling debris," the ministry said of the earlier closure.

Weekday closures from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are in place at Cameron Lake to allow workers to remove debris left by the June wildfire.

That schedule will remain in place until mid-August, with a two-hour opening to flush single-lane alternating traffic between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily.

The ministry says the work is critical to ensure the long-term safety of the corridor after a geotechnical assessment of the hillside found that rock scaling would be required before the highway can fully reopen to two-way traffic.

Outside of the closure periods, Highway 4 will continue to operate with single-lane alternating traffic. The detour route will also remain open for public and commercial use.

Highway 4 was closed on June 6 as firefighters battled the Cameron Bluffs wildfire. Single-lane alternating traffic has been in place along the highway since June 23.