The Highway 4 detour is working well with food delivery trucks coming to town and people able to get back home.
That’s from District of Tofino councillor Kat Thomas, who says the town is not feeling too isolated with the detour and needed trucks and supplies coming through.
She adds they are seeing less people in the area, but some are concerned about taking the route and there are not many people coming in.
“It’s pretty safe in that it’s a graded logging road, they have checkpoints set up and they have a lot of traffic flowing through but definitely people could be hesitant about driving on it, because it is steep and it’s logging roads and dusty,” said Thomas.
“The people that are hanging out and extending their stay have lots of options for accommodations and food and people stepping up to take care of them.”
Janelle Staite with the Ministry of Transportation says there have been some accidents and flat tires on the route.
Thomas adds that the ministry is asking people to only use the route for essential travel, and strongly encourages people to travel safely.
“If you are taking the detour route, pack lots of water, be prepared for a bumpy road,” said Thomas.
“There’s lots of people passing through but it’s not a bad idea to have a spare tire with you. There’s no cell phone service, so if anything does happen pull off to the side somewhere safely.”
Thomas adds it is a scenario that the town has been through before in recent years, and they are not as concerned.
“We’ve been through the Kennedy Lake road closures, we’ve been through COVID, we’re super well versed in flexibility and compassion when it comes to things like this,” said Thomas.
She adds that there have been multiple people on social media offering help to people and providing ride shares.
