Drivers can expect some detours in the Upper Valley that could last a little more than a week.Interstate 91 South is closed between exits 16 and 15, which are the exits for Bradford and Fairlee. That stretch has been shut down to southbound traffic since a rock fall earlier this week.According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, part of the highway was badly damaged when a boulder fell about 100 feet, sending smaller chunks all the way across to the northbound side of the interstate. Lingering safety concerns forced the portion between exits 16 and 15 to stay closed for now, VTrans told NBC5 News.The agency shared photos of the area with NBC5 News, warning cracks remain in the rock face along the highway, indicating the stone is unstable and that more pieces could fall.Shauna Clifford, the district transportation administrator for the southeast region served by VTrans, said recent rain, freezing, thawing, and re-freezing surely contributed to the unstable rock conditions.”You get water in there, and then it freezes, and water expands,” Clifford said, referring to cracks in the rock face alongside I-91 South. “And that’s what’s going to cause those rocks to further loosen and likely come down. So that was definitely part of the reasoning why we closed the interstate.”In an interview Friday with NBC5 News, Clifford said specialized contractors from Colorado, who are experts in addressing problematic rock slopes, will start hand-scaling and stabilization work this Sunday. Clifford estimated it will take about a week of stabilization work before VTrans can reopen one lane of southbound travel while site work continues.”Closing the interstate is not something we take lightly, and we certainly have no intentions of dragging this on,” Clifford told NBC5 News. “As soon as the situation is safe, then we will open it back up to one lane of traffic so we can complete our work. Closing the interstate is not something we like to do, but it is necessary in this situation to keep our traveling public safe.”Drivers will have to get off Exit 16 South and follow detour signs that will guide them to where they can pick up I-91 South again at Exit 15 in Fairlee.Clifford said there was no loss of life or catastrophic damage to vehicles because of that rock fall. However, she said her colleagues are looking into some reports of possible problems like tire damage to cars.
Drivers can expect some detours in the Upper Valley that could last a little more than a week.
Interstate 91 South is closed between exits 16 and 15, which are the exits for Bradford and Fairlee. That stretch has been shut down to southbound traffic since a rock fall earlier this week.
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According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, part of the highway was badly damaged when a boulder fell about 100 feet, sending smaller chunks all the way across to the northbound side of the interstate. Lingering safety concerns forced the portion between exits 16 and 15 to stay closed for now, VTrans told NBC5 News.
The agency shared photos of the area with NBC5 News, warning cracks remain in the rock face along the highway, indicating the stone is unstable and that more pieces could fall.
Shauna Clifford, the district transportation administrator for the southeast region served by VTrans, said recent rain, freezing, thawing, and re-freezing surely contributed to the unstable rock conditions.
“You get water in there, and then it freezes, and water expands,” Clifford said, referring to cracks in the rock face alongside I-91 South. “And that’s what’s going to cause those rocks to further loosen and likely come down. So that was definitely part of the reasoning why we closed the interstate.”
In an interview Friday with NBC5 News, Clifford said specialized contractors from Colorado, who are experts in addressing problematic rock slopes, will start hand-scaling and stabilization work this Sunday. Clifford estimated it will take about a week of stabilization work before VTrans can reopen one lane of southbound travel while site work continues.
“Closing the interstate is not something we take lightly, and we certainly have no intentions of dragging this on,” Clifford told NBC5 News. “As soon as the situation is safe, then we will open it back up to one lane of traffic so we can complete our work. Closing the interstate is not something we like to do, but it is necessary in this situation to keep our traveling public safe.”
Drivers will have to get off Exit 16 South and follow detour signs that will guide them to where they can pick up I-91 South again at Exit 15 in Fairlee.
Clifford said there was no loss of life or catastrophic damage to vehicles because of that rock fall. However, she said her colleagues are looking into some reports of possible problems like tire damage to cars.
