An alternate route to and from Port Alberni that bypasses Highway 4 has been talked about for decades. Vehicle crashes regularly close portions of the highway, sometimes for hours at a time, cutting off Port Alberni and the west coast. The firefight, falling debris and clean up closed 3 km of Highway 4 between Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni for 18 days. The back road logging route from Lake Cowichan took hours longer and the road conditions were sub par. It also serves as a reference for local partners, including the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District Transportation Committee,” the Ministry said in a written statement Thursday.