Most of the Hurley has been graded! The summit down to the top of the switchbacks on the Pemberton side has not been graded and is the worst section but the rest of the road is as good as it gets! Heavy Equipment is being hauled over the Hurley on semi’s and kicking up a lot of dust which effects visibility on the road. Watch out for logging trucks too! There is no gas in Bralorne this week so bring your own gas if you need some!
Hurley travellers today may have noticed the unusual brown colour of the glacier fed Lillooet River. The SLRD is reporting that Steve Flynn from the Pemberton Valley Dyking District has flown the Lillooet River and reports a sizeable landslide from the SW corner of Mt. Meager. There is no impoundment of the river, and temperatures at altitude are near freezing, accounting for the drop in the river level. A geotechnical specialist from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations will survey the area as the afternoon progresses. At this time, there is no imminent danger to the communities in the Pemberton Valley.
Update from Dave Southam, RPF, District Manager, Sea to Sky District, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
As promised here is the most current information I have since I received the original report of the Lillooet River dropping 1 metre in one hour at about 14:00 this afternoon, I can now confirm the following: My Engineering Officer (Malcolm Schulz), Resource Manager (Scott Shaw-MacLaren) and Matthias Jakob, Ph.D, P.Geo from BGC Engineering have flown the entire upper Lillooet River and Meager Creek drainages.
* There was a small debris flow in the headwaters of Devastation Creek (tributary to Meager Creek) that is the source of the sedimentation.
* #472 also shows initiation zone of another recent slide.
* There is no impediment to water flows in the Meager and Upper Lillooet Rivers.
I believe all ops are normal. No immediate concerns to public safety.
Just came down the Hurley this afternoon and I must say, I WON’T be driving that way again until something gets done on the Pemberton side switchbacks! It is just awful right now going down. I would have hated going up hill!
The middle of the Hurley is not bad (as it has receaved a basic grading since opening) but the Pemby side switchbacks are in the roughest shape I have ever driven in 10+ yrs of using the Hurley! The unmaintained East Hurley is actually smoother than the switchbacks.
I had to go so slow down the hill in my Jeep (with 10 ply tires) that any time usually saved going via the Hurley to the lower mainland was all but lost. It’s highway 40 for me until they grade the switchbacks.
What a joke it is having the Hurley split into various sections for maintanence as it currently is. Not much use grading the middle when the ends suck! Like I’ve said before, we sure pay some pretty high taxes to have a practically unmainted Hurley and too much of an unpaved highway 40!
At least pave highway 40 if your only going to do peace meal work on the Hurley!
The grading has turned over or broke some rocks creating very sharp pointy ones. I drove one through the tread of a 10 ply Load Range E tire Monday evening, near the summit where the snow is still in the trees.
Thanks to everyone who stopped and asked if we were okay, and a huge thank you to the Gun Lake cabin owner in the Ford truck who loaned me the tool to drop the spare.