There's no definitive explanation yet for the rock slide that blocked traffic between Vancouver and Whistler for seven hours on Sunday.
Surely the major widening of the Sea-to-Sky highway to handle traffic for the 2010 Olympics played a role, but construction isn't officially getting the blame. It's worth noting that radio Web sites provided information about the road's conditions all day, while as late as 1:00 a.m. on Sunday night the Vancouver Sun's Web site told readers to wait for the Monday morning newspaper.
The unexplained closure ought to renew interest in alternative forms of transportation to the Whistler area. Why not an expansion of the passenger ferry service planned between Vancouver and Squamish during the Olympics? Why not start a fast ferry from Seattle to Squamish? If the C$600 million or so cost of the highway's reconstruction makes economic sense, can't alternatives pencil out too?