Roads closed as crews stabilize 403 slope

(Updated)
While the work to repair Friday’s mudslide beside the 403 is now well underway, it’s still having an impact on traffic in the area.

However, it’s nothing like the delays experienced by so many on Friday. City officials expect it will take up to a week to repair the eroded embankment. And that means more delays for drivers.

It was slow moving in and out of the city Monday. Not just because of the lane closure on the 403 eastbound, but also because people are slowing down to take a look in both directions.

York Boulevard heading into the city as well as the York Boulevard ramp off the highway will be permanently closed while this work is being done.

They’ll close one lane of the 403 here around nine each morning, and reopen it around 5 or 5:30. This is expected to go on all week.

All day, truck after truck brought in dirt and concrete.

Gary Moore, Hamilton Public Works: “Trying to stabilize this slope. What we do is we put a lot of weight there in the form of broken concrete and stone and that keeps the slope from moving any farther.”

On Friday, this broken watermain caused trees, mud and water to spill onto the highway, leaving behind this massive hole. Officials don’t even know just how deep it is yet.

Moore: “It’s too dangerous to send anybody in there.”

The dirt and debris crews filled 25 dump trucks.

Moore: “Quite a bit more has to come back in so that the bottom of the slope as well as what goes in the hole.”

These metal culverts are being installed so water doesn’t build up in the embankment in the future.

You can see this ridge here where the earth has shifted that’s because of the water that had built up within this slope. These are called tension cracks and the earth is basically trying to pull apart. There’s a few of these all the way down the hill.

And crews need to make sure this steep hill doesn’t shift and further.

Moore: “The fact that it’s in a tight location between 2 major roads and adjacent to a busy highway complicates it.”

So to make sure it’s safe, they have to close part of the highway while work is being done, creating more delays for these drivers on an already busy stretch.

Not only are crew working on the highway at the bottom of this slope but they are also drilling in to the ground on York Blvd. to get a better idea of just how big the hole is underneath this watermain.