Highway 20 "Washed out"

[Glacier]

A Williams Lake man is lucky to be alive after being swept down a steep embankment in complete darkness toward the Fraser River while travelling on Highway 20 just west of the Sheep Creek Bridge early Monday morning.

The motorist and his vehicle were swept some 500 feet down the bank after water washed out a section of the highway in the middle of the night. Early reports indicate the man managed to get himself back up to the highway for help and is currently being treated at hospital.

The victim’s employer, who does not want to be named at this time, said the victim who was swept away in the wash out described driving west for work and having the “road just disappear in front of him.”

“He’s going to be OK and that’s all I want to hear,” the employer said at the hospital Monday, adding the long time Williams Lake resident is very sore but recovering.

RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, District Advisory NCO for the North District said Williams Lake RCMP were called at 3:09 a.m. and advised of the washout, estimated to be in excess of 150 metres and approximately a half of a kilometre west of the Sheep Creek Bridge on Highway 20.

http://www.wltribune.com/news/overnight ... -hospital/

I'm not sure that washout is the correct term here since they are in extreme drought/fire conditions up there and there is no creek there. It's more like water has been seeping underground into the gully for a very long time, and it finally gave way. I would call it a landslide, not a washout.

[Queen K]

Absolutely stupendous, what water can do. Landslide I believe is the correct call.

I have driven down from Farwell Canyon to Gang Ranch and out to Clinton, so even I know those on the other side aren't stuck per se, I just hope they had full tanks of gas. I wonder how long it will be before Hanceville is hurting for gas supply.

[Glacier]

Absolutely stupendous, what water can do. Landslide I believe is the correct call.

I have driven down from Farwell Canyon to Gang Ranch and out to Clinton, so even I know those on the other side aren't stuck per se, I just hope they had full tanks of gas. I wonder how long it will be before Hanceville is hurting for gas supply.

MOTI is saying to take this route. It's MUCH shorter than Farwell, but because of the dry conditions, the dust is horrendous. A friend had to drive 5km/h because they had zero visibility.

[Queen K]

That'd be good for those low on gas for sure.

When I was on my trip, going on five years ago, we were just tooling around to be tourists.
If I had extra days off right now, I'd go up there to take a look at the slide itself, get my own photos of it if they let people across the bridge.