Detour Route To Highway 4 To Close For Several Hours Today

Highway 4 remains closed near Port Alberni due to wildfire and now, so too is the detour used to get around it.

The detour was permitting traffic from Port Alberni to Lake Cowichan via the Bamfield area using forest-service roads and privately owned industrial roads.

Police warned drivers to be cautious after a commercial vehicle left the road while on the route Wednesday near Francis Lake.

“Those roads are so windy and narrow,” said Island District RCMP Corporal Alex Berube.

“The dust and gravel can be slippery, and there can be clouds of dust that will reduce your visibility.”

Damage to the road and instability of the slope above the highway means this closure is likely to last beyond the fire itself.

The detour will open sooner if the vehicle extraction is completed quickly.

All travellers are urged to avoid travel along the detour route before, during and after the closure because commercial trucks will be queueing for passage.

The detour is along forest-service and privately owned industrial roads, includes single-lane bridges and challenging terrain, and adds an additional four hours of travel to the route. The Province has asked drivers to avoid travel and only take the detour for essential purposes.