More progress is being made at the site of the Wheatley explosion.
Municipal officials are preparing to reopen a section of Erie Street North which has been closed since the August, 2021 blast.
Fences are being put up along much of the block just north of Talbot Road with a goal of reopening the road to two lanes of traffic within the next two weeks.
Officials say they are reviewing the possibility of allowing pedestrian traffic, however the street will remain off-limits to large truck traffic.
The evacuation zone has once again been reduced and no longer includes any single-family residences. Buildings along the west side of the block have Prohibited Access by CBO Order.
Meantime, a scrubber system designed to capture H2S gas emissions at the site of earlier incidents in downtown Wheatley is now up and running. Filters in the unit will trap any H2S gas and reduce it to zero. The system will remain on site for six months after which a determination will be made for long-term action.
The current flare stack onsite will remain as a backup system for the time being as an additional safety measure.
An update on the ongoing remediation process is expected to come before council on Monday, December 12.
