For motorists travelling north of Summerland, construction work along Highway 97 was a fact of life in 2024.

The road work, between Callan Road and Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, was necessary following an earlier rock slide.

The slide on Aug. 28, 2023, resulted in the immediate closure of the highway when around 3,000 cubic metres of material fell onto the road surface.

The debris was cleared, but tension cracks were then found above this area. These cracks were up to two metres wide and up to 20 metres deep. They showed that the initial rock slide was part of a larger slide, the province said. 

As a result of the cracks, geotechnical engineers determined that additional long-term stabilization measures are needed in the area.

During the road work, there have been road closures along this section of the highway during the past year. 

Summerland mayor Doug Holmes has called for a year-round alternate route near Summerland. He said Highway 97 is an essential transportation route, connecting communities in the Okanagan Valley.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 our lifeline. We91裸聊视频檙e so dependent on it for everything,91裸聊视频� he said. 

Mayors of other Okanagan communities have also been calling for an alternate route.

The portion of the highway immediately north of Summerland has been affected by earlier slides. 

In 2008, a fault was discovered in a rock face above the highway. The highway was closed in both directions, with the closure lasting for 19 days.

Then, in 2014, a rock slide occurred in the same area, and in January 2019, another rock slide resulted in a road closure lasting for more than a month.

Work on long-term stabilization measures is underway. While the work has halted for the season, it is scheduled to resume in 2025.