Highway 50 Closures Scheduled For Echo Summit Next Week As Crews Remove Remove Loose Rock, Debris

EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) - Road crews will be closing Highway 50 intermittently next week along Echo Summit as they remove loose rock and debris.

The work comes after a car-sized boulder fell on the Highway Wednesday. Prior to that on March 4, a boulder the size of a cabin fell onto Highway and had to be blown up before it could be hauled away in pieces. Experts say the Caldor Fire burned up vegetation, allowing rain to erode the soil around the rocks, which caused them to shift.

Starting at noon on Monday, passenger cars and pick-up trucks will be detoured on Johnson Pass Road, CHP says. Drivers are being told to expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

Commercial trucks and vehicles with trailers will remain on Highway 50 and should expect delays of up to 45 minutes over the summit.

U.S. Highway 50 detours will be in effect during the following periods:
• Monday, March 21 – noon to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 22 through Thursday, March 24 – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday, March 25 – 7 a.m. to noon