Hwy. 2 to reopen Sunday after huge boulder detonated
LEAVENWORTH, Wash. - A huge boulder that rolled onto Hwy. 2 near Leavenworth was blown up with explosives Saturday, but officials say the highway still can't be reopened until Sunday afternoon.
Both lanes of Hwy. 2 were blocked Friday night when the house-sized boulder tumbled down a mountainside and landed in the center of the roadway at milepost 98. No one was hurt.
Westbound traffic is stopped at Leavenworth and eastbound traffic is stopped at Coles Corner. A detour is available, using Chumstick Highway and SR 207, for vehicles under 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
State Transportation Department spokesman Jeff Adamson said crews used explosives to blow up the boulder into smaller pieces.
Crews are now loading the pieces into dump trucks and moving the rock away from the scene. Once the rock is removed, crews can repair the pavement, which was cracked and dented from the impact of the boulder.
The state DOT hopes to have the highway reopened by 4 p.m. Sunday, Adamson said.
Both lanes of Hwy. 2 were blocked Friday night when the house-sized boulder tumbled down a mountainside and landed in the center of the roadway at milepost 98. No one was hurt.
Westbound traffic is stopped at Leavenworth and eastbound traffic is stopped at Coles Corner. A detour is available, using Chumstick Highway and SR 207, for vehicles under 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
State Transportation Department spokesman Jeff Adamson said crews used explosives to blow up the boulder into smaller pieces.
Crews are now loading the pieces into dump trucks and moving the rock away from the scene. Once the rock is removed, crews can repair the pavement, which was cracked and dented from the impact of the boulder.
The state DOT hopes to have the highway reopened by 4 p.m. Sunday, Adamson said.
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