Highway 4 east of Port Alberni will re-open late Wednesday morning (July 26) after being closed for almost a day.

The highway was temporarily closed due to high winds on Tuesday afternoon, but the closure stretched on throughout the night and the next morning.

According to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, crews had to work through the night to repair one of the cranes that holds the netting that shields the road from falling rocks. The highway had to be closed while crane repairs were underway to ensure the safety of travellers.

The highway is expected to reopen to single-lane-alternating traffic after repairs are complete, which is estimated to be at 11:30 a.m. The planned daily closure periods from 9-11:30 a.m. and from 1:30-5 p.m. for rock scaling work won鈥檛 resume until Thursday, July 27.

A seven-kilometre portion of the highway between Cathedral Grove/MacMillan Provincial Park and Koen Road has been subject to closures since a 229-hectare Cameron Bluffs wildfire started in early June.

The area has been single lane-alternating traffic around an area where large cranes are supporting a metal screen across the rock bluff. The area is subject to closure when winds hit a certain speed; the cranes have to be lowered, which puts the site at increased risk of falling debris.