Wednesday, July 30 - 02:05:00 PM Katharine Kitts/News1130 Staff
SQUAMISH (News1130) -
SQUAMISH (News1130) -
Geo-technical crews now think it could be five days before they can clear the massive rockslide that's blocked the Sea to Sky highway in both directions between Lions Bay and Furry Creek.
A ferry may be brought in to help in the meantime, if infrastructure is able to support the move.
A geo-technical crew steps cautiously over the debris and boulders that now block the highway, a vital link to Squamish and Whistler completely vacant except for the crews and media standing nearby,.
Some campers at nearby Porteau Cove park heard the rockslide happen just before midnight.
"It sounded like dynamite," says one young girl who heard the boom. "This morning I found out it was rocks coming down."
The rubble is nine metres high in some parts and completely covers the highway, rail lines and stretches to the water below. Squamish RCMP say there are no confirmed injuries at this point, but there is no question a massive cleanup lies ahead.
A hillside in the Porteau Bluffs area collapsed just before midnight, sending approximately 15,000 cubic metres of rock and debris crashing down on the Sea to Sky highway between Furry Creek and Porteau Cove.
Some of the boulders now blocking the road are as big as semi-trucks.
Highway crews are now assessing the size of the slide and the stability of the slope above the road. Drivers are being told to go the long away around through Lillooet if they need to travel between Whistler and the Lower Mainland.
The Sea to Sky Highway is currently undergoing a half-billion dollar upgrade to ensure it can handle all the traffic expected between Vancouver and Whistler during the 2010 Olympic Games.
A ferry may be brought in to help in the meantime, if infrastructure is able to support the move.
A geo-technical crew steps cautiously over the debris and boulders that now block the highway, a vital link to Squamish and Whistler completely vacant except for the crews and media standing nearby,.
Some campers at nearby Porteau Cove park heard the rockslide happen just before midnight.
"It sounded like dynamite," says one young girl who heard the boom. "This morning I found out it was rocks coming down."
The rubble is nine metres high in some parts and completely covers the highway, rail lines and stretches to the water below. Squamish RCMP say there are no confirmed injuries at this point, but there is no question a massive cleanup lies ahead.
A hillside in the Porteau Bluffs area collapsed just before midnight, sending approximately 15,000 cubic metres of rock and debris crashing down on the Sea to Sky highway between Furry Creek and Porteau Cove.
Some of the boulders now blocking the road are as big as semi-trucks.
Highway crews are now assessing the size of the slide and the stability of the slope above the road. Drivers are being told to go the long away around through Lillooet if they need to travel between Whistler and the Lower Mainland.
The Sea to Sky Highway is currently undergoing a half-billion dollar upgrade to ensure it can handle all the traffic expected between Vancouver and Whistler during the 2010 Olympic Games.
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