Highway 4 on Vancouver Island to reopen to 2-way traffic Thursday afternoon

Highway 4, the only road connecting Tofino, Port Alberni and Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island, will reopen to two-way traffic Thursday at 5 p.m.

According to Rob Fleming, B.C. minister of transportation and highways,there will be no more single-lane alternating traffic and no more queuing up for those looking to drive the highway.

The road has been closed since June due to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.

In an interview with CBC's On The Islandon Aug. 31, Fleming saidthey had been hopeful to get the highway open before the long weekend, and that the Thursday opening is actually a day ahead of schedule.

"It's been a tremendously difficult job for crews and scalars that have been, you know, really attacking the face of that bluff to make it safe for the travelling public again," said Fleming.

"And I really want to publicly thank them on your program for all the work they've done in the adverse climate, both the heat and the muck that they found there after the fires ripped through it."

Earlier this summer, the ministry announced that temporary closures of the highway would begin July 18, so rock-scaling work could be carried out after damage from the Cameron Bluffs wildfire, which closedthe route for more than two weeks in June.

Fleming said travellers may notice enhancement through the Cameron Lake area, such as the addition of 'extensive' fencing to catch any small debris that may fall.

Local businesses that relied on the critical east-west route said they were devastated by the long closure following the June wildfire, as well as the intermittent closures on weekdays.

"The business community, they've been very, very patient. I know this has been really difficult for residents to come out of the valley to other parts of the island for work," Fleming said.