UPDATE: June 23, 2023, at 1:45 p.m. Highway 4 will be re-opened in the Cameron Lake area (Koen Road to Cathedral Grove) at 3 p.m. June 23, 2023, following recovery from the Cameron Bluffs wildfire. This section of the highway will be open only for single-lane, alternating traffic.
Residents should continue to monitor http://DriveBC.ca and https://www.tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories/ for the latest information on the Highway 4 road closure, detour route and phased opening.
UPDATE: June 13, 2023, at 2 p.m. The Province of BC announced today that a phased re-opening of Highway 4 is tentatively planned to start as early as June 24 or 25, 2023. Until then, Highway 4 remains closed with the detour in place. The phased reopening will initially operate with single-lane-alternating traffic to support safety measures put in place while the slope continues to recover from the effects of wildfire. Assessments of Highway 4 will be conducted during the single-lane opening. There will be significant delays during the single-lane alternating period. Until the highway is fully open, the detour will remain available. The Province anticipates there will be a full opening of the highway around mid-July.
Residents should continue to monitor http://DriveBC.ca and https://www.tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories/ for the latest information on the Highway 4 road closure, detour route and phased opening.
UPDATE: June 10, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. To support essential goods transport, beginning Sunday, June 11, four piloted convoys specifically for commercial vehicles will be guided along the detour route, to and from Port Alberni. These scheduled convoys will occur daily until further notice. Other drivers will be placed behind the convoys to support the movement of essential supplies. Continue to monitor http://DriveBC.ca and tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories for the latest information on the Highway 4 road closure and detour route.
UPDATE: June 9, 2023, at 10:00 p.m. The detour route has reopened. Continue to monitor http://DriveBC.ca and tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories for the latest information on the Highway 4 road closure and detour route.
UPDATE: June 8, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. DriveBC has advised that the detour route will be closed tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. to recover a vehicle at Francis Lake. Delay travel if possible. Check emergency information on http://DriveBC.ca.
Due to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire, Highway 4 between Cathedral Grove/MacMillan Provincial Park and Koen Road remains closed. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) has put a detour in place. The detour will route traffic from Port Alberni through to Lake Cowichan via Bamfield using forest-service and privately owned industrial roads. The detour extends travel by up to four hours and includes difficult driving conditions. MOTI strongly advises drivers to avoid travel in the area unless essential.
Information on the detour route, including the map below, can be found at tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories. Residents are also advised to monitor Drive BC at drivebc.ca for updates.
Click on the link below the map for the full emergency alert.
