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Heavy rain that caused mudslides on Highway 1 between Lytton and Spences Bridge was not in the forecast: MOTI

Heavy rain blamed for slides

UPDATE 5:20 p.m.

Highway 1 between Lytton and Spences Bridge will remain closed overnight.

DriveBC is reporting the next status update on the closure will not be until 10 a.m. on Friday.


UPDATE 2:00 p.m.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says geotechnical assessments are underway after multiple mudslides on Highway 1 last night.

A helicopter is flying over the sites this afternoon to provide a better picture of the extent of damage and will assist if there are any stranded motorists. RCMP are on the scene and there are currently no reports of injuries.

MOTI is in contact with several Indigenous communities in the area and crews are working to clear the slides.

The ministry notes that the isolated heavy rain that caused the slides had not been forecasted. It is monitoring the current forecasts as it works to reopen the highway.


11:55 a.m.

A section of Highway 1 remains closed in the Fraser Canyon after mudslides covered the road last night.

DriveBC says the highway is closed between the junctions of Hwy 12 and Hwy 8 and an assessment is in progress.

Amy Eby shared photos and videos with Castanet last night. She was in a vehicle that had to drive over part of the mud and debris covering the highway east of Nicomen around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Another post on the Coquihalla Road Reports (And Area) Facebook group showed a b-train tractor-trailer stuck in the mud.

DriveBC’s next scheduled update on the closure isn’t expected until 4 p.m. today.

Flooding and slides during last November’s atmospheric river caused significant damage to Hwy 1 and other routes in the Fraser Canyon, and some repairs are still underway.

Castanet has reached out to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for an update on the extent of the latest mudslides and what needs to be done to clear them and reopen the highway.



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