Tuesday highway closure will be at Brent Road

by Dave Preston

If you’re a little confused about a scheduled highway closure Tuesday, you’re likely not alone.

Crews working for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) have been working on a rock slope stabilization project on the north and south ends of Peachland for several weeks. The work, being conducted on Drought Hill and near Brent Road, involves some blasting, rock bolting and scaling.

Readerboard signs went up on Hwy. 97 about a week ago warning drivers of a highway closure on May 3. One of those signs is on Drought Hill, leading some to believe the closure will take place on Drought Hill.

PeachlandNews.com has received a number of enquiries from the public, and other media outlets, about the closure and where exactly it will take place.

To make matters more confusing, a MOTI advertisement in the Peachland View is about as clear as mud.

The advertisement states, “The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure would like to advise the public of a planned temporary road closure on Hwy. 97 at Drought Road Bluff and Brent Road, south of Seclusion Bay Road near Westbank. The highway will be closed in both directions Tuesday, May 3 from 9 to 11 a.m.”

Reading the advertisement could lead people to believe the highway closure is taking place at two locations, except Brent Road would never be described as being south of Seclusion Bay Road and is definitely not near Westbank.

A spokesperson at MOTI’s Okanagan-Shuswap office said she has been receiving a lot of calls from people confused about the highway closure. She put PeachlandNews.com in touch with another ministry spokesperson, who set the record straight.

“The closure is at Brent Road,” said Chris Keer.

Two big blasts are scheduled for the Brent Road area Tuesday morning, according to Keer. The blasts will necessitate the closure of Hwy. 97 for up to two hours.

Work is supposed to continue on the Drought Hill rock bluff on Tuesday and throughout the week. That work will require up to 20 minute closures throughout the day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Once again, the correct information is:

Hwy. 97 closure (both directions of travel)

Tuesday, May 3

9 to 11 a.m.

At Brent Road (south of Peachland)