Although the road to Jasper remains closed to residents and recreational travellers due to wildfire activity, the transportation corridor along Highway16 has been reopened to commercial vehicles over 11,794 kilograms.
That means eastbound trucker traffic travelling on Highway 16 through a 60.3-kilometre closed section between Hargreaves Road (16 km east of Tete Jaune) and the Alberta border will be allowed passage certain times of the day.
The road will also be open for westbound commercial traffic travelling to B.C. through Jasper National Park.
Subject to change, they will be able to access Highway 16 through the park daily from 5-7 a.m., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and 8-9 p.m. MDT.
The RCMP will be monitoring the road at various checkpoints. Truckers are being advised to expect delays, with hotter and drier weather is forecast.
The Jasper Complex Wildfire, which has grown to 32,000 hectares, is still out of control.
Highways 16 and Highway 93 (southbound) were closed suddenly Wednesday, July 24 when fire swept through the town, forcing 25,000 people to evacuate immediately on Highway 16 into B.C. The fire destroyed 30 per cent of Jasper's structures, leaving much of the west side of the town in ruins.
The Jasper National Park Facebook page provided an update on Thursday, Aug. 1.
“This morning, crews are working are working to contain sections of the fire perimeter and extinguish hotspots in priority areas. Fire activity is anticipated to increase during the peak burning period in the afternoon.
“Strategic ignition was carried out yesterday near Kerkeslin Campground to protect the site and currently unaffected infrastructure. Depending on conditions today, specialists are preparing for ignition operations north of town in the Pyramid Lake area to help reduce risk to the community. This work will burnout fuels between the control line and fire perimeter, reducing the risk of fire spread.
“Structural protection specialists (which include Beaverly Volunteer Fire Department personnel from Prince George) are operating around town and outlying infrastructure. They are maintaining sprinkler systems that have been installed on buildings as well as the 12-inch high-volume system in place north of the community.
“Work continues to protect critical infrastructure including the wastewater and water treatment plant, where the wildfire is burning underground. Crews are working to secure the perimeter near Marmot Basin to prevent further growth into the Tonquin Valley."
Efforts are also underway to protect animals.
“Human-wildlife coexistence staff are assisting incident staff with wildlife conflicts and managing attractants in the fire area," the notice states.
The next update from Drive BC is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m. PDT
For more information go to the 511 Alberta website.
