The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) is reminding residents and travellers of the upcoming extended closures to Highway 1 through the Kicking Horse Canyon as a part of Phase 4 of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project.

Extended closures will begin in mid-September, with overnight and evening closures continuing through the start of the month.

The highway will remain open for Labour Day weekend, day and night. Intermittent closures in the evening from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. MDT will continue, as well as full overnight closures from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m., until Sept. 15.

Daytime stoppages of up to half an hour due to single-lane alternating traffic will be added between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. after Sept. 15, and will continue until Sept. 20.

At noon on Monday, Sept. 20, extended closures will set in, with the highway completely closed 24-hours until December 1 at 6 a.m. During this time, traffic will be re-routed through Radium, via highways 93 and 95, which will add up to 1.5 hours of travel time, the same detour from the extended spring closure.

Some exceptions will apply, with the highway re-opening from Sept. 25-26 with daytime access to the canyon, as well as being fully open for the Thanksgiving weekend.

A limited-access pass system will allow local commuters and school buses to be escorted through the construction zone during two brief windows daily. These passes were implemented during the first extended closure, and are nearly at capacity, according to MOTI.

Information on the pass system is posted on the project website.

Kicking Horse Constructors, the group overseeing construction of the final phase of the Kicking Horse Canyon Project, is allotted 30 weeks of 24 hour closures throughout the project.

While making plans, people are encouraged to check the highway status calendar on the project website or on DriveBC.

The project will see the highway expanded from two lanes to four with a meridian divider. Approximately 4.8 km of highway will be updated, with 13 curves realigned and wider shoulders along the highway to accommodate cyclists.

Improvements will include snow avalanche and rock fall mitigation, as well as wildlife exclusion fencing

For more information about the Kicking Horse Canyon Project, visit their website. If you have questions or comments about construction and traffic, please call the 24/7 construction information phone line: 1-844-815-6111.