Highway 4 is not expected to be open again to motorists until at least June 24, and even then it will be for single-lane alternating traffic only at first, the Transportation Ministry says.
The ministry said crews were working flat-out to prepare for a staged reopening after the highway was shut down June 6 because of debris, including trees, falling from the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.
The shutdown has cut off paved road access to west coast communities such as Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino.
Only an unpaved forest service route via Lake Cowichan is available to motorists who need to get to and from the west coast.
Provincial officials say it could be mid-July before the highway linking the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island is fully reopened.