Blasts May Cause Delay Near I-35 Rockslide In Oklahoma's Arbuckle Mountains

BY RANDY ELLIS Staff Writer rellis@oklahoman.comOfficials plan to set off explosives Tuesday afternoon in an effort to prevent future rock slides along Interstate 35 in the Arbuckle Mountains near Turner Falls. Extended traffic delays are expected, state Transportation Executive Director Mike Patterson said Monday at a state Transportation Commission meeting. Officials are urging motorists to choose alternate routes. The blast will be delayed if the weather doesn't cooperate, state transportation officials said. Drivers have been warned to expect traffic congestion in the area ever since a June 18 rock slide forced officials to reduce traffic to one lane in either direction for a four-mile stretch through the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma. At times, traffic has backed up about five miles in either direction, said Brenda Perry, a transportation department spokeswoman. Officials have received complaints of delays ranging from a few minutes to up to two hours, depending on the time of day and traffic flow, she said. Tuesday could be especially bad, because officials will have to completely block traffic in both directions while the explosives are detonated and the rock debris is hauled off afterwards. Bob Rose, field division engineer, said steps are being taken to try to minimize delays. The actual blast and removal of the loosened rock is expected to take 20-30 minutes, Rose said. Law enforcement officers will set up rolling road blocks about 10 miles from either side of the blast site and slowly drive toward the work site to keep vehicles from having to spend as much time at a dead halt on the interstate, he said. Experts have told state transportation officials there is a 35 percent chance only one blast will be needed, Rose said. There are other methods that could potentially be used for additional rock removal, including inflating air bags between crevices in rocks to jar them loose or dragging a giant steel bucket down the face of the rock surface, Rose said. "Every effort will be made to blast as little as possible," he said.Read more on NewsOK.com