Sinkhole Plugged, Road Fully Reopens

Update: 2 pm

The highway has now fully reopened.

Update 12 pm

Highway 97 next to Polson Park is expected to be fully open at 2 this afternoon.

Cleanup work has been been going on since the sinkhole was plugged.

Transportation Ministry District Manager Jack Bennetto says they’ve been stabilizing the temporary surface with a salt solution, and currently there is one lane northbound and one lane southbound, leading to backups on the highway.

Temporary repairs have been made to plug the sinkhole on Highway 97 near Polson Park.

Transportation Ministry crews worked through the night to complete the work.

The rain yesterday delayed the fill because some of the material being used couldn’t be compacted in the rain.

Highways District manager Jack Bennetto says he`s confident the repair is stable.

But it will be monitored on a regular basis.

Bennetto says there likely won’t be an appropriate review of the damage until this fall.

The northbound lanes are open. The southbound lanes are closed for a short while for cleanup.