BLUEFIELD —
Highway crews are prepared to work through the weekend to clear a massive rock slide that has shut down a section of Interstate 77.
Tom Camden, district manager for the West Virginia Division of Highways District 10, said crews are working to get at least one lane of traffic on I-77 northbound open as soon as possible.
“We still don’t have any definite time for when we expect the road to open,” Camden said. “Our contractors plan to work through the weekend. We already have traffic controls in place so we can open the road by at least one lane right away. We would like nothing better than to get this road open as soon as possible.”
In addition to crews working to clear the rock slide, Camden said the DOH has officials on hand to conduct traffic control for both rerouted traffic and for when the interstate is reopened.
“The work has been pretty much around the clock since Wednesday morning,” he said. “As far as the removal work, the contractor has several people with trucks and we have several people flagging to help traffic. We also have several people on standby for traffic control when the road can reopen. We realize how important that road is just because of the volume of traffic we are seeing and rerouting.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
A worker uses heavy equipment to shatter large boulders into smaller pieces to be hauled away at the site of Wednesday's rock slide on interstate 77 Thursday. Staff photo by Jon Bolt
-
Department of Highway crews are still working to clear a large rock slide along the northbound lanes of Interstate 77. Photo by Jon Bolt
Discussion
March 22, 2013
I-77 northbound still closed — DOH crews prepared to work through the weekend removing rock and debris
- Local News
-
- Two hospitalized following collision between motorcycle and Jeep
- Report finds drug-related crimes increasing in Southwest Virginia
-
Carnival opens as 2013 Mountain Festival gets underway
-
War man charged with murder
A bond hearing was scheduled Monday in McDowell County Circuit Court for a War resident soon after he was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a local man.
-
McDowell’s Juvenile Drug Court now open
-
Authorities: No plans to remove black bear unless it is a threat
-
Crews set up for today’s start of 2013 Cole Chevy Mountain Festival
- Three teens narrowly escape injury at RR crossing
- UPDATE: High water begins to recede in Buchanan County
- Boil water advisory lifted for parts of Princeton
- More Local News Headlines
