From our Department of Transportation:
Work to remove 20 million-pound rock along SR 503 in Cowlitz County is underway
While dangerous rockfall continues to threaten State Route 503 near Speelyai Recreation Road, work to remove trees from on top of the slope began Friday, March 31.
The Washington State Department of Transportation signed an emergency contract with Pacific Blasting & Demolition, a contractor who specializes in precision rock removal and slope stabilization work. Crews will work through the weekend to clear access points onto the hillside, allowing for removal of surface rocks from the top section of the slope.
“This is a major milestone, but there’s still a lot of work to do to get the highway open,” said WSDOT project engineer Lori Figone. “We’ve got to remove the large rock slab, assess what’s behind it and then stabilize the slope.”
WSDOT geotechnical engineers estimate a 20 million-pound rock slab came loose from the hillside, causing a debris slide and closing the highway on Monday, March 13.
The two links in the final paragraph go to the WSDOT Flickr web page - that is a big slab of rock. Couple more photos here.
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