The Ministry of Transportation and Transit has responded, via e-mail, to Durrell Road residents who are extremely unhappy with the permanent closure of their road just south of Quesnel.
It says it came down to land stability and money.
“The Ministry of Transportation and Transit undertook extensive investigation and planning and analyzed various options. Alternative route options were explored, but they were extremely costly. As assessments progressed, it became clear that any work on the closed portion of roadway, such as fixing the road, would continue to carry the risk of slide movement. Reopening Durrell Road would require extremely costly solutions to ensure the road meets modern safety and design standards.”
Local residents have been asking for a “farmer’s fix” which would be a one lane dirt road.
The ministry also said that residents had an alternate route.
“As residents continue to have safe, reliable access via an alternate route (Dale Lake Road), and as the ministry cannot guarantee safe passage through the slide area, the ministry decided to close the road. The detour adds about eight minutes of drive time when coming from the south. It does not significantly impact travel times for those driving from Quesnel.”
A slide closed the road in the spring of 2021, and the ministry says the Durrell Road area has a long history of slope instability.
The ministry says work on the closed section of Durrell Road is being undertaken to improve drainage and reduce future slide impacts. Resurfacing of portions of Durrell Road and Dale Lake Road is expected once the turnaround and drainage work is complete.”
The Ministry has also responded to allegations of a lack of communication on the road closure.
“The decision to permanently close the road was announced publicly on April 30, 2025. The ministry has also been in contact with the Cariboo Regional District on a number of occasions to discuss the status of the project, including attending the CRD Board meeting on October 24,2025 to provide an update on the program.”
It goes on to say that “the project team continues to communicate with residents, answering inquiries as they’re received.”
On the topic of fire protection, the Ministry says fire protection service boundaries and policies is outside its mandate and are determined by local governments, which in this case would be the Cariboo Regional District.
The CRD has extended fire protection to the roughly 20 residences that are impacted until January 1st, 2027.
Fire protection is tied to response times from the fire hall.
