Residents of Bamfield, Anacla and Nitinaht will get their main route to Port Alberni, a hub for essential supplies and services, back on October 24. The communities, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, have had to take a long and dangerous detour for two months after a wildfire damaged the slopes along the main road.
Road was closed Aug. 11 after damage caused by the Mount Underwood wildfire
After being closed for months, the main road to the west coast Vancouver Island community of Bamfield and the Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht First Nations is expected to reopen in two weeks.
The Ministry of Transportation says in a release that the route is scheduled to open on Oct. 24, after it was closed in August because of the Mount Underwood wildfire.
The ministry says more than 1,000 dangerous trees on the slopes along the road’s corridor have been removed, and the work will continue until Oct. 18.
Locals should be prepared for short closures after the reopening, for remaining work to be completed and in case of high winds or heavy rain.
The ministry says crews have also begun building a new weather station that will monitor conditions and allow officials to close the road temporarily in case of severe conditions.
The Mount Underwood fire triggered several evacuation orders in the area in August and cut off power to Bamfield.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the province is now past its peak fire season, with the number of active blazes down to 91 and 18 fires declared out in the last week.
