Key stability work and road improvements soon will begin at Ten Mile Slide as preparations continue toward a long-term solution on one of British Columbia's most technically challenging slide sites.

Ten Mile Slide is located within Xaxli’p’s Fountain Indian Reserve boundary, approximately 17 kilometres northeast of Lillooet. The active slide surrounds Highway 99, which is vital to the local and regional economy as the primary connector between Lillooet and Kamloops.

The area has experienced ongoing slide activity for several decades, severely affecting the Xaxli’p community, local businesses, the trucking and tourism industries, and the general public.

The Province of British Columbia is investing heavily in long-term slope stabilization measures for the site. Once completed, the project will result in a reliable, permanent two-lane paved roadway, improving safety for people travelling along this section of Highway 99.

Phase 1 work, which is now underway, will install 44 soil anchors in the slide area to improve stability, as well as widening, grading and drainage improvements to the highway.

This work is scheduled for completion by the end of February 2019. The ministry will then carry out a geotechnical assessment to determine if improvements to current traffic operations are feasible, including adjustments to the current 50% load restriction.

The ministry and Xaxli’p are nearing completion on an agreement for the main stabilization contract (Phase 2). The design is being finalized. The ministry intends to tender the contract later this winter through a competitive bidding process. The project is on schedule for completion in fall 2020.

Consultation with Xaxli’p, the general public and other affected stakeholders has been ongoing throughout the process and will continue until the $60-million project is completed.

Ministry staff will continue to monitor the site and complete temporary repairs as necessary to maintain safe travelling conditions through the area.

Learn More:

For more on the ministry’s plans for long-term solutions at Ten Mile Slide, go to: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/projects/highway-99-ten-mile-slide