Highway 4 on Vancouver Island reopens after temporary closure due to high winds

Highway 4, the only road connecting Tofino, Port Alberni and Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island, reopened to single-lane alternating traffic Wednesday afternoon after a being temporarily closed again due to high winds.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation announced Tuesday that the route would close overnight in both directions at Cameron Lake Bluffs to keep travellers safe as there is an increased risk of rockfall in the area.

The ministry said winds were gusting in excess of 50 km/h on Tuesday evening.

A release from the ministry issued Wednesday morning did not mention wind, but said the highway was closed while crews fixed a crane holding netting that shields the road from rocks.

The highway reopened to single-lane alternating traffic shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Drive B.C.

Earlier this month, the ministry announced temporary closures of the highway would begin July 18 so rock-scaling work could be carried out after damage from the Cameron Bluffs wildfire, which closed down the route for more than two weeks in June.

On Thursday, the province will resume the planned closures from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. so rock-scaling work can continue. There will be no closures overnight or on weekends, including on the B.C. Day long weekend in August. The closures are scheduled to be in place until mid-August.

A detour route set up earlier in June remains open, DriveBC said.

Local businesses that relied on the critical east-west route said they were devastated by the long closure following the June wildfire, as well as the intermittent closures on weekdays.

Transport Minister Rob Fleming said Wednesday morning the work is on track to be completed on time.

"We really appreciate the understanding of residents," said Fleming at an unrelated news conference in Victoria. "No one knows how valuable Highway 4 is like they do."