A chunk of Vancouver Island highway that had been closed for repairs is finally open to traffic.
DriveBC reported Saturday evening that Highway 19 in Lantzville is open to vehicle traffic after crews were able to succesfully fill a sinkhole that first appeared on the roadway on Thursday.
The highway — also known as East Island Highway/Island Highway — had been closed at Superior Road since Friday afternoon as crews worked to repair the sinkhole.
The closure resulted in a detour route that ran along Superior Road and Lantzville Road, causing massive traffic delays. Some motorists reporeted it taking nearly six hours to travel from Parksville to Superior Road on Friday evening while a Vancouver Island woman gave birth on the side of Highway 19 after getting caught in traffic caused by the sinkhole.
Though traffic is flowing on Highway 19 again, Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation, said during a rare Saturday press conference, that more permanent repairs could take many months.
“Permanent repairs will take likely upwards of months,” he said.
CLEARED – #BCHwy19 CLOSED due to roadway obstruction at Superior Rd., 4 km north of #Nanaimo. Detour in effect. Watch for traffic control. Detour via Superior Rd and Lantzville Rd.
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) November 21, 2021
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Nicholas Pescod
