LYBURN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Highways has heavy equipment working on old Route 10, known as Hanging Rock Highway, after a massive rock slide early Wednesday morning.
“There was a little slip at first, we moved it out of the way, then about 30 minutes later 50 to 80 ton of rock came off the hillside,” said Ronnie Stallings with the local Division of Highways Garage in Logan.
The slip happened early Wednesday morning. According to Stallings the material slid off the mountain, across the road, and put some debris on the railroad tracks below the highway. The road is closed and local residents are having to drive an exta mile or two to access the new four lane Route 10 to get around the slip.
“We’ve got end loaders, excavators, and a hammer trying to break up the big rocks to haul it off and get it out of the way,” Stallings said.
That process is expected to take a couple of days to complete. Stallings and the local officials hope to have the road back open by Thursday evening.