Big boulder blocks canyon road in Washington. It took explosive solution, photos show
A large boulder blocked a canyon road in Washington, so workers came up with an explosive solution, transportation officials said.
“It sure would have been frightening to come around the corner and see it in your path,” one person commented on Facebook.
Photos show the boulder blocking a road around 4 a.m. Feb. 6 in Tumwater Canyon near Wenatchee, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a Feb. 8 Facebook post.
Workers managed to move the boulder out of the lane, but it was still blocking the shoulder, officials said.
A boulder buster wouldn’t work to break up a rock of this size, so officials called in the avalanche control team who are “highly trained in the use of explosive materials.” A boulder buster is a tool used to break rocks into smaller pieces.
Bundles of explosives were placed on the rock and ignited, officials said. The big boulder was then broken into smaller pieces, allowing workers to clear it from the road completely about two hours after it was closed to traffic.
“The road was miraculously not damaged at all with the exception of a few scrapes,” officials said.
Facebook users appeared to be glad the boulder was removed before anyone ran into it.
“That could’ve been a disaster waiting to happen!” someone commented on Facebook.
“What a blessing no one was there when it came down,” another person wrote.
Wenatchee is in central Washington, about 150 miles east of Seattle.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Big boulder blocks canyon road in Washington. It took explosive solution, photos show."
