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VIDEO: Drone footage shows extent of damage in Highway 4 rockslide

Tofino, Ucluelet still cut off from rest of the island, as crews work to repair roadway

UPDATE: The road was closed at 8 a.m. Friday and will be reopened from 8 a.m. to noon Jan 25 limited to passenger vehicles and light pickups only. Screening at Tofino/Ucluelet junction and Sproat Lake. The plan is to reopen Highway 4 to commercial vehicles in the afternoon of Jan 26. Next update Saturday at 10 a.m. — Drive BC

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As crews continue to clean up a major rockslide on Highway 4 outside of Tofino, new drone footage is showing the extent of the damage.

The rockslide, which wiped out part of the highway early Thursday, has cut off Tofino and Ucluelet from the rest of the island. It was open Friday afternoon for “essential travel” only.

The province said in a news release that crews are working to bridge the damaged section of highway in order to open it as soon as possible.

On Friday morning, the Ucluelet Co-op’s fresh produce aisle was nearly bare and a note was posted informing customers that the shelves would not be restocked until the highway opens.

Ucluelet mayor Mayco Noel is encouraging his community to remain calm.

“There’s no need for alarm other than the inconvenience of missing appointments and scheduled goods and services going back and forth,” he told the Westerly News.

READ MORE: Mayors call for ‘calmness’ as highway closure cuts communities off from supplies


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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