The Meadows in the Sky Parkway is closed to vehicles at the 14 kilometre mark due to a landslide below the road just beyond that point.
"There is a landslide just beyond Bridge Creek at kilometre 15.5," said Rick Reynolds, the visitor experience manager for Parks Canada. "For that reason we have the road closed until we are sure that it can be made safe. The road is closed beyond kilometre 15 or Bridge Creek."
The landslide occurred downhill from the road along an unnamed creek that passes through a culvert below the road. Pictures provided by Parks Canada show the slide washed away a swath of land below the road, including a chunk of the shoulder, but the roadway itself remains intact.
"The land has slumped adjacent to a culvert and the culvert was freeflowing prior to the landslide," he said.
A geo-technical engineer from the firm EBA Engineering Consultants inspected the stability of the slope on the weekend and a report is expected in the coming days, Reynolds said.
"He's working with our road engineers to determine the next step and determine what kind of engineering solution might be available."
The landslide has taken out the shoulder of the road but the roadway itself is intact. Photo by Alan Polster/Parks Canada.
Reynolds said that so far the landslide hasn't impacted normal operations because the snowline currently sits at about kilometre 17. "Even without the landslide the road would only be open to kilometre 15 right now," he said.
He said that there are three areas where landslides occur above the road and need to be cleared off before the parkway is open but a slide has never happened at the current location.
"There has not been any evidence of any slope instability there before," Reynolds said.
The Meadows in the Sky Parkway is a major tourism draw in Revelstoke in the summer. According to Parks Canada, about 35,000 people visit the summit area each year in the short period during which it's open.
"Visitor safety is our top priority so the road will be closed until we can be sure it is safe," Reynolds said.