Nearly two-and-a-half years after large sections of Highway 8 between Spences Bridge and Merritt were damaged or destroyed by flooding, the province says that work on permanent repairs is underway.
During the atmospheric river that battered southern B.C. in November 2021, heavy rainfall and the flooding of the Nicola River severely damaged — and in some areas obliterated — 25 sections of the highway and associated infrastructure; 45 kilometres of the highway were impacted, and seven kilometres were completely lost in what Nooaitch Indian Band Chief Marcel Shackelly described as a “750-year event.”
READ MORE: Province committed to rebuilding Highway 8 after massive damage
One person was killed in the flooding, which destroyed homes, outbuildings, and properties. In August 2022, washouts along the highway damaged another five sites, and access to properties for residents along the corridor was not completed until September 2022.
In the wake of the flooding, the province stated that repair work to two other hard-hit highways — the Coquihalla (Highway 5) and Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon — was the priority. Temporary repairs — including the construction of two bridges — allowed Highway 8 to fully reopen to traffic 361 days after it was closed, albeit with reduced speed limits, and with varying surfaces and single-lane traffic only in some areas. Because of this, the highway has not been able to be used as a detour if there are closures on Highways 1 or 5.
READ MORE: B.C. Highway 8 may be worst hit, major routes highest priority
READ MORE: Highway 8 reopened to public nearly one year after flood damage
At the reopening of the highway in November 2022 there was no official word regarding a timeline for permanent work on the highway to be started or completed. However, the province has now announced that four qualified teams have been asked to participate in the request for proposals (RFP) stage to design and construct permanent repairs to a section of Highway 8 approximately 15 kilometres east of Spences Bridge.
Work will include replacing two temporary structures with permanent bridges, and the construction of approximately three kilometres of highway connecting the bridges. When the RFP submissions have been evaluated, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will choose the team that will design and build the highway section.
Design work for the section east of Spences Bridge is expected to start this fall. In the meantime, design work for permanent repairs to another series of damaged sites on Highway 8 (sites 1 through 8 west of Merritt) is currently in the detailed design phase. The designs are expected to be completed this spring, with construction on the sites slated to begin in summer 2024.
Once construction begins, drivers should be prepared for potential traffic delays, including single-lane, alternating traffic.
Geotechnical investigations into the remaining damaged sites are scheduled to begin this spring, with crews working on the western end of the corridor. Drivers should prepare for, and obey, all traffic control personnel and signage, including reduced speed limits through construction zones.
The Highway 8 team has also been gathering information about groundwater conditions for off-channel habitat restoration, which will help the development of plans for environmental restoration work along the Highway 8 corridor. The restoration work will ensure that sites are developed to provide suitable habitats for fish during periods of low water, and may include developing side channels, placing rock clusters to create areas of calmer water for young fish, and planting vegetation to create cool and shady areas in the river.
Construction of this habitat restoration work is planned for summer 2024.
A “Highway 8 Information & Updates” newsletter provides updates on all the work being done along Highway 8. For more information about the project, and to access the newsletter, go to https://bit.ly/3rP7SbM.