Work crews are making progress in clearing a rock slide that has blocked a road in Pikeville since Tuesday night.
Highway crews have been working overnight to remove debris and break a huge boulder that landed on Bypass Road, said Paul Maynard, a spokesman for the Pikeville Police Department.
The hunk of rock was the size of a car or small SUV, he said.
Officials closed Bypass Road between Chloe Road and Reynold's Market after the slide occurred about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.
Bypass Road is a busy thoroughfare that residents from Johns Creek and Belfry used to reach downtown Pikeville, according to Maynard. There are various other routes motorists may use, but they are not as easily accessible, he said.
The slide was thought to have resulted from rain, snow melt, and winter freezing and thawing in recent days, Maynard said.
Emergency crews went to the scene Tuesday night after multiple 911 calls and quickly closed the road because of the size of the slide and the potential for more rocks falling, officials said.
City officials were asking the public to avoid the area until the problem is resolved. Crews will have to remove rocks and debris, as well as stabilize the hillside where the slide occurred, before the roadway can be reopened, Maynard said.
Officials initially said cleanup could take a couple of days.
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