Travellers along Highway 1 between Spences Bridge and Lytton are being advised that the highway will be closed to all through traffic from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23.
The closure is being put in place by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), to enable Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) to re-align the highway level crossing at Tank Hill and place its newly-constructed rail bridge at the site into service.
The work is part of the recovery efforts from the November 2021 atmospheric river, which caused significant damage at nearly two dozens sites along the Fraser and Thompson canyons, and affected Highway 1 and both the CPKC and CN mainlines.
Tank Hill was one of the most highly-impacted sites, with both Highway 1 and the CPKC rail line at the site washed out. The Fraser Canyon route was closed for more than two months, and when it reopened the Tank Hill site had been realigned, with highway travellers crossing the CPKC mainline at a level crossing rather than going underneath it as before.
Emergency vehicles will continue to have access to the area throughout the closure on April 23. Local highway traffic movement between Spences Bridge and the Nicomen River Road area, and between Lytton and the Gladwin Road area, will be maintained during the closure. Access to traditional fishing grounds between the Nicomen Bridge and the road closure eastern control point will also be maintained.
Checkpoints managed by MOTI traffic control personnel will be in place at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 12 at Lytton; at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 8 in Spences Bridge; and at the intersection of Highway 1 and Cornwall Road near Ashcroft.
CPKC will utilize their existing traffic control on site for travelers who make it through to road closure. All other traffic will detour via Highway 12 or Highway 5. Updates will be posted on CPKC’s “Rail projects near you” webpage and on the DriveBC website (www.drivebc.ca).