A major washout is cutting off access to the west coast of Vancouver Island.

A sinkhole on Highway 4 has blocked traffic for more than 24 hours.

The washout has closed off traffic in both directions about five kilometres from the Ucluelet Junction since Friday afternoon.

The highway is the main access road connecting Tofino and Ucluelet with the rest of the island, and no detour route has yet been made available.

Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne says the road closure has inconvenienced some people — particularly tourists who have either extended their stay or cancelled their trips — but is otherwise not a cause for concern.

<a href="https://twitter.com/DC_Geddes">@DC_Geddes</a> The contractor is telling us that no detour is available at this time. —@DriveBC_VI

She says having one main access road to the rest of the island has always posed a challenge and the community's emergency planning accounts for that.

Engineers are expected to be assessing the site on Saturday, and Osborne says residents are waiting for updates on whether a detour route will be established and when the road will be repaired.

The highway is the only non-logging road connecting Tofino and Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island.