Motorists should expect additional delays along State Route 299 through the Big French Creek slide Wednesday. Caltrans announced that major blasting work requires a full road closure from just after 10 this morning until 4 this afternoon. Vehicles already lined up at the closure by 10 a.m. will be allowed to pass.
Before and after the blasting work, traffic will be allowed through the slide area once an hour, at the top of each hour. The highway remains open overnight. Drivers can expect 30-minute delays between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and on weekends.
Engineers and construction crews have been working for nearly four months to clear the massive landslide that buried the road in December. Highway 299 is the principal route linking the valley with Eureka and Humboldt County.