BANFF, AB - 10:07 a.m. June 21, 2013 - Flood watch continues for Town of Banff, with high water in low lying areas.
General Information:
In Town of Banff, Bow Ave closed. Birch Ave closed. Bow River Falls Road closed at Spray. Sundance Road to Warner Stables is closed. Please stay off these roads and pathways. Stay away from the river. All riverside pedestrian trails are closed. Please stay off the trails.
Recreation grounds are closed and experiencing high water.
Sandbag supplies are available for residents at the Banff dog park lot, across from Town of Banff operations yard at 120 Hawk Avenue. Bring a shovel. Volunteers wishing to help may fill sandbags.
Town crews are sandbagging Town infrastructure where necessary and effective. Town crews will deliver sandbags to Rocky Mountain Co-operative Housing.
Town drinking water system not impacted.
Highway report as follows:
Both westbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway are reopened from the Norquay interchange.
Motorists are be able to travel west to Golden.
Motorists are encouraged to consult the DriveBC website http://www.drivebc.ca/ for road conditions west and south of Golden.
The Trans-Canada Highway eastbound from Banff remains closed until further notice.
Parks Canada is making every effort to reestablish traffic flow. However, due to the continued rainfall, not estimated time of reopening for the below listed roads is not available.
A number of highways in the mountain national parks remained closed due to heavy precipitation causing flooding and mudslides.
Trans-Canada Highway—both directions at Carrot Creek, located just inside the Banff East Gate. Engineers are assessing bridge safety.
Highway 93S—the Banff-Radium Highway—from Castle Junction to Radium.
Highway 93N (the Icefields Parkway)—from Lake Louise to Saskatchewan Crossing.
Given persistent rain, there is no estimated time of road reopening at any of the aforementioned locations.
Additionally, as a precautionary measure, Parks Canada staff are moving campers at Two Jack Lakeside Campground to higher ground at Tunnel Mountain Campground.
There are no reports of injuries.
Updates on the situation will be provided every two-to-three hours, or sooner if conditions change.
For up-to-date road conditions in the Banff area, please visit http://511.alberta.ca/ab/en.html. For information on BC Highways, please visit http://www.drivebc.ca/