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Old Fort landslide has moved length of 2 1/2 football fields

Slide keeps advancing

The Old Fort landslide has moved 235 metres, or the length of two and a half football fields, since reactivating a week ago.

The Ministry of Transportation says its GPS instruments are again sending in data after failing on Sunday. The ground continues to move about two metres per hour and moved 15.3 metres overnight on Wednesday.

The slide has destroyed 100 metres of Old Fort Road, and needs to slow down significantly before the serious work of rebuilding can begin.

“Construction equipment, the maintenance contractor, and ministry district and technical staff continue to be on site and assessments are ongoing,” a ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

“Slide movement must slow to less than one metre per day before road construction can begin.” 

The landslide reactivated June 18, after sitting idle for close to two years since it first collapsed at the end of September 2018.

Old Fort residents remain on evacuation alert, but no order has been issued.

On Thursday afternoon, ministry crews had installed a warning sign in Old Fort, and had reportedly punched a road through to begun removing old cars and other exposed landfill debris that is coming down with the slide.

"The slide on Old Fort Road is not safe for the public to cross," the ministry said.

"The slide continues to adjust to ongoing changes and although the movements are currently slowing, it is not possible to continuously monitor and report all site changes and that makes the slide unsafe for the public to cross."



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