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More landslides as Duncan area road remains closed months after initial incident

Allenby Road likely to remain closed until geotechnical study gives better understanding of issues
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A landslide prompted Emcon Services Inc. to close Allenby Road between Miller and Boys Roads in Duncan after heavy rains in November. (Emcon Services photo/Twitter)

The sloped area near Duncan, which has been closed to traffic since flooding on Nov. 15 caused a landslide that buried a section of the road in debris, has experienced additional landslides in recent weeks.

In a discussion regarding a landslide study in other areas of the Cowichan Valley Regional District at a recent meeting of the district’s committee of the whole, Kate Miller, the CVRD’s manager of engineering services, told the directors that there have been ongoing issues in the slopes above Allenby Road.

RELATED STORY: ALLENBY ROAD WILL REMAIN CLOSED FOR NOW AFTER LANDSLIDE IN NOVEMBER

She said there are a number of active landslides in the area as of the meeting on March 23, and Cowichan Tribes is currently working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to do some additional drilling on the slope to come up with an estimation of the location of the bedrock, which would help determine the extent of the threat of landslides to nearby roads and buildings.

“There are a number of houses just on the crest [of the slope] and a number below the crest,” Miller said.

“There is an active slide right now [March 23] on one particular property just further east of the two landslides that occurred on Cowichan Tribes’ land. We have informed the property owners that they can’t undertake certain types of activities without risk, so it’s challenging for us.”

RELATED STORY: 2 ROADS STILL CLOSED, BUT COWICHAN VALLEY RECOVERING FROM FLOODS

Miller said that among the many challenges the CVRD faces in regards to the slope in the area and property owners is to determine when, and if, staff would deliver cease-and-desist orders to stop activities if the property owner is putting themselves or others at risk.

There is still no indication as to when Allenby Road will reopen, and Miller said it will likely remain closed until Cowichan Tribes and the ministry complete a geotechnical study that will develop a better understanding of the issues in the area.

After the landslide on Nov. 15, which impacted the area on Allenby Road between Miller Road and Boys Road, the ministry’s maintenance contractor cleared all the debris and mud from approximately 60 metres of roadway.

Another landslide occurred on Indian Road, which is close to Allenby Road, on Jan. 12 which saw Indian Road closed for that afternoon while ministry workers cut up and removed trees that had slid from the top of the slope onto the road.

A statement from the ministry at the time said the Allenby Road landslide was not connected to the Indian Road slide.



robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
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