Caltrans battles with extreme rockslides along SR-70

(FOX40.COM) — Clearing thousands of cubic feet of boulders and soil from State Route 70 within the Feather River Canyon has become a common occurrence for Caltrans crews in charge of the roadway.

Since January 22, Caltrans District 3 and Caltrans District 2 have been clearing at least one medium to large-scale rockslide or landslide every month.

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Caltrans District 2 and District 3 are responsible for their own portions of the state route.

Christopher Woodward with Caltrans District 2 told FOX40.com that the seven slides along the roadway this year are about on par with what the canyon sees almost every year.

Woodward said that seeing commercial bus-sized rocks weighing up to 42 tons fall off the sides of the canyon onto the roadway is not uncommon during these winter and early spring months and it comes down to the geography of the area.

Like many of California’s mountain passes, SR-70 is cut into the hillside, leaving a shear rock wall that when exposed to heavy amounts of rain can cause these massive slides.

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The steadiness of these rock walls has been further compromised in recent years as the Dixie Fire ripped through the Feather River canyon, killing much of the vegetation that helped anchor these massive boulders into the hillside.

Caltrans District 3 spokesperson Megan Reese says that since she started with the district about three months ago she has been reporting on these slides almost since day one.

One of the most concentrated slide areas this year has been around the community of Cresta, where five different slides have occurred between Jan. 22 and March 7.

In this same area, Caltrans is conducting a restoration project by raising the roadway by five feet and adding a retaining structure to combat future flooding of the Feather River.

The first slide on Jan. 22, threw down massive rocks along the area of the construction zone, destroying a portion of the K-rail barricades.

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This slide would trigger the first major closure along the roadway for at least a week as rocks were cleared, crews scaled the hillside to ensure the stability of the rockface, and new barricades were brought into the project area.

The closure area has been from Deadwood to the SR-70 and SR-89 junction, also known as the Greenville Wye, which is a distance of about 30 miles.

However, this would only become a foretelling of what was to come for crews as further slides occurred on Feb. 2, Feb. 23, Feb. 27 and March 7.

The slide on March 7 is so far the most massive and destructive to occur in the Cresta area this year.

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Along with some 2,300 yards of rock crashing down onto the highway, an excavator working in the construction zone was caught in the slide, but the operator was not injured.

As of April 16, Caltrans is still working to clear the massive amount of rock with heavy machinery.

Reese said that explosives will not be used to break down the rocks for fear of throwing too much debris into the river.

In a social media post on April 16, Caltrans said there is no estimated time of when the roadway will reopen for one-way traffic control for locals.

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Further northeast of the Cresta slide areas, District 2 had two slides on March 6 near the communities of Belden and Rock Creek that dropped a combined over 2,000 cubic yards of soil and rock.

On March 7, District 2 carried out blasting operations of the slide near Rock Creek, where boulders weighing up to 85,000 pounds were blocking the roadway.

Woodward said that following a slide, contractors are not allowed into the area until Caltrans crews can fully confirm that the slide area is no longer active and safe for removal crews to begin their work.

He continued that Caltrans is mindful that people living along these closed sections of the state route still need to access their homes and properties, along with emergency vehicles.

One-way traffic will reopen to local traffic and emergency personnel when Caltrans and the removal crews feel they have reached a point where it is safe to do so.

As Caltrans crews and contractors continue to clear these large slides, drivers are advised to monitor the Caltrans QuickMap for up-to-date road conditions.

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