Unstable Road Closed

Safety concerns have forced officials to close off a small portion of the Mabel Lake Forest Service Road east of Mabel Lake.

The Ministry of Forests says the closure takes effect at 7 am Friday, and will be until further notice.

“Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations engineering staff have determined that soil in the area has become heavily saturated with water and that slumping of the roadbed has occurred, which has prompted the closure,” says a government release.

It impacts a 100-metre stretch of the road, starting at the 11.5-kilometre mark near the main entrance to Mabel Lake Provincial Park, but people can still get to the park.

“The closed section is about one kilometre north of the main entrance to Mabel Lake Provincial Park, so public access to the park from the south will not be affected. Access to the northern portions of the road will also remain unaffected,” says the release.

The ministry says soil in the area has become heavily saturated with water and that slumping of the roadbed has occurred.

The road will be barricaded at the 11-kilometre mark. “Road Closed” signs will also be posted at the 11-kilometre mark, the 15-kilometre mark and the junction with the Three Valley Mabel Forest Service Road (also known locally as the Wap Forest Service Road) to notify road users.

The road will be reopened once the roadbed has been repaired. The construction timeline has not yet been determined.