Heavy weekend rains washed out already saturated soils, severing a key lifeline between several mountain communities.
“There’s about a 50-foot gap in one spot where the roadway is completely gone,” said Denise Yergenson, a Caltrans spokeswoman
That road is State Route 3, which runs from Interstate 5 near Yreka to State Route 36 high in the Mendocino range. The slide is 11 miles north of Weaverville.
Yergenson said a second, smaller washout also occurred. In all, about 500 feet of highway will need repair.
Yergenson said teams of engineers, geologists and environmental specialists were dispatched Monday to access the situation and recommend a course of action.
She said it all started rather matter-of-factly. In the midst of heavy rainfall Sunday, Caltrans crews became aware of a crack in the road surface. By 4:30, traffic was being restricted.
“Maintenance crews were out, conducting the one way traffic control all night and about 11:30 p.m., the road gave out in that location,” Yergensen said.
Trinity County officials are attempting to map a viable detour.