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UDOT repairing landslide damage on SR-12 near Bryce Canyon

Posted at 8:22 PM, Mar 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-09 22:22:49-05

SOUTHERN UTAH - A major tourism road is falling off a cliff in Southern Utah.

"Thankfully, no one has been injured," said John Gleason, spokesman for Utah Department of Transportation. "We noticed a crack there about two weeks ago.”

Half of the eastbound lane of SR-12 between Tropic and Bryce Canyon City is falling off a cliff. It's a major travel road leading to Bryce Canyon National Park. The damage has reduced lanes in the area.

"Our crews are working around the clock because it is such a critical stretch," Gleason confirmed.

Gleason said the problem started with the ground underneath the lane, which lines the edge of a cliff. The constant thawing and freezing combined with runoff created unstable ground, which resulted in a large chunk of the mountainside underneath the road falling off, taking part of the lane with it.

"Over the past several days, we've begun paving closer to the hillside so we can at least keep one lane of traffic open for now," Gleason said.

UDOT says a contractor will be out next week to start working on the repairs. They hope to have the stretch open and fully operational by next month.