Massive landslide dumps boulders and debris on Nevada highway, video shows
A massive landslide left a Nevada highway closed indefinitely after it dumped boulders and debris across the road, officials said.
With the heavy rainfall, the “landslide and rockfall fell across roughly 400 feet of roadway” at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, cluttering State Route 208 through Wilson Canyon near Yerington, the Nevada Department of Transportation said in a news release.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it could be quite some time before this road is cleared of all the debris,” the city of Yerington wrote on Facebook.
Photos and videos from the Yerington/Mason Valley Fire Protection District show the landslide’s aftermath with the highway overtaken by boulders and debris that spilled from the hillside adjacent to the highway.
“The road will be closed for a while,” the fire department said in a post accompanied with an aerial video showing the highway blanketed in rubble.
The road, which is traveled by about 1,800 daily, is closed between Hudson Aurora Road and State Route 339, the department said.
“While alternate routes are sparse in the rural area, potential options include accessing Yerington or Douglas County via U.S. 95A/U.S. 50 or U.S. 395 south and north of the area,” the department said.
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Engineers are evaluating the situation and working on a plan to remove the rockfall, the department said.
“No time frame for rock removal has been finalized,” the department said.
More of the roadway is expected to close at a later date to ensure crews can “safely remove the major rockfall,” the department said.
Yerington is about 70 miles southeast of Reno.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Massive landslide dumps boulders and debris on Nevada highway, video shows."
