'We’re excited': Highway 4 open again after overnight closure

After being closed for 17 days due to the Cameron Bluffs Wildfire, Highway 4 finally reopened to single-lane, alternating traffic at 3 p.m. Friday.

But just five and a half hours later, the vital connector for the Island’s west coast communities was shut down once again due to high winds.

The province said the weather posed a safety concern for the cranes that are holding up the mesh wire put in place to catch debris, and that the mesh had to be lowered until winds died down.

The highway was closed in both directions between Cathedral Grove and Koen Road at 8:30 p.m. Friday, and reopened around 7 a.m. Saturday.

“Hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing from here,” District of Tofino councillor Kat Thomas said in an interview with CTV News. “To have kind of a start-stop to our season was pretty alarming.”

She said the last 17 days have been very quiet in Tofino, and while the detour route brought in essential fuel and groceries, tourists were sorely missed.

“The businesses felt a huge hit from not having any visitors come through,” Thomas said. The councillor said the community saw only about 15 to 30 per cent of normal traffic levels.

Despite the rocky start to the season, Thomas said the community is excited for the coming months.

“We’re ready to welcome people here for the summer,” she said, adding the Tofino Jazz Festival is happening this weekend, with other activities on the way. “We want people to come and join us,” she said.

If everything goes to plan, Highway 4 will be fully open to traffic sometime in July.