Good news for residents of several rural B.C. communities.
The B.C. government says the Kispiox Valley Road Bridge is now open to all traffic as of today (Feb. 23), citing crews have completed reconstruction and permanent repairs.
On Feb. 4, a vehicle incident involving a snowplow reportedly caused structural damage to the bridge, located 15 km north of Hazelton or 460 km northwest of Prince George.
As a result, though pedestrians could still cross it, the bridge was closed to vehicle traffic on an indefinite basis with no detours available.
Dawson Road Maintenance (DRM) began working ‘around the clock’ to reopen the bridge.
Roughly 48 hours later on Feb. 6, the bridge opened for light vehicles weighing no more than eight tonnes.
On Monday (Feb. 22), heavier vehicles up to 30 tonnes were allowed over the bridge every 20 minutes on the hour, but the province has now indicated its complete reopening.
“The ministry [of Transportation and Infrastructure] extends its gratitude to the Kispiox Band, Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine and first responders for their efforts to ensure people who live north of the bridge, specifically in the village of Kispiox, were kept up to date and had access to emergency services,” reads a statement this afternoon (Feb. 23).
For road updates and information regarding the Kispiox Valley Road Bridge, you’re asked to visit DriveBC’s website.
