CANADA, December 22 - Following an extensive review, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has determined the best option for access to the community of Old Fort is to continue using the existing road alignment. 

The ministry will continue with further geotechnical assessments to identify potential improvements for Old Fort Road to improve reliability for area residents, and to help make the road more resilient to the future effects of climate change.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure initiated a review in fall 2020 to examine long-term access reliability to the community, including the identification of possible alternative routes. Each of the proposed alternative routes failed to demonstrate a superior alignment and it was determined that the best option is to pursue improvements to the existing route.

Reliability, cost, geotechnical, structural, environmental, hydrotechnical, and constructability were all considerations in the study.

In 2018, a landslide on Old Fort Road cut off the only road out of Old Fort, a community of about 150 residents five kilometres north of Fort St. John. Following heavy rains in June of 2020, the slide moved again, damaging the road a second time.

The full report can be viewed here: www.gov.bc.ca/oldfortroad