Rolla Road (known locally as Snake Pit Road) has now re-opened with the completion of a temporary bridge replacement over the road, announced Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone today.

“Snake Pit Road is an important route in Dawson Creek, not only for residents but especially for commercial trucks carrying heavy and over-height loads through the region,” said Stone. “The road was heavily damaged during this summer’s flooding, and the ministry and contractors have been working extremely hard to get traffic up and running again.”

Two culverts, and portions of Snake Pit Road, were washed out during flooding in the Peace area in June. The temporary bridge structure is one-lane and designed to accommodate commercial traffic carrying extraordinary loads (85 tonnes) between Highway 2 and Highway 49.

Planning is underway for a permanent two-lane structure downstream of the temporary bridge.

“I’ve seen first-hand the amount of work that has gone into repairing the damaged roads to ensure that they’re safe for travel,” said MLA for Peace River South Mike Bernier. “They’ve made tremendous progress and the re-opening of Snake Pit Road this week is great news.”

Ministry crews and contractors have been working since the flood took place to repair roads and open up highways in the area. All roads in the area are open to traffic, with permanent repairs to several sites ongoing. In total, the Province already has invested $15 million for repairs.

Highways 97 South between Mackenzie Junction and Chetwynd, and Highway 29 South between Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge, were closed because of washouts and flooding caused by heavy rainfall on June 15 and 16, 2016.