Highway 99 reopens after multiple days closed due to mudslide

Highway 99 has reopened between Pemberton and Lillooet, the provincial Ministry of Transportation announced Saturday afternoon.

The highway had been closed since the evening of Dec. 1 due to mudslides.

The ministry says weight restrictions are in place on the route from just north of Pemberton through to Lillooet.

"Regular passenger vehicles such as cars, SUVs, vans and trucks under a gross vehicle weight of 14,500 kilograms are able to travel on this corridor, but commercial vehicles cannot be safely accommodated," the ministry's statement reads.

Highway 99 is also one of several routes between the Lower Mainland and the B.C. Interior that are restricted to essential travel only. The ministry says checkpoints will be in place to enforce travel restrictions.

"The highway infrastructure is vulnerable following recent storms," the ministry said. "The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is monitoring the weather and the performance of the highway. People should be aware that Highway 99 and others could be closed at any time if conditions change."

The stretch of highway that was closed for much of this week is the same stretch where at least four people died in mid-November, when the first of a series of storms passed over the area, triggering a massive mudslide.

A fifth person is missing and presumed dead.

There were no injuries reported after the latest mudslide, but the ministry said there was a "substantial" amount of debris that needed to be cleaned off the road before it could be reopened.

Highway 99 was one of three highways between the Lower Mainland and the Interior that reopened with restrictions after the mid-November storm.

It was then closed again, pre-emptively, as additional storms battered the province last weekend.

The highway had only been open for a few hours on Wednesday, Dec. 1, before the latest slides forced it to close again.